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INSIDE HISTORY 

OF THE 

WHITE HOUSE 



The Complete History of the Domestic 
and Official Life in Washington of the 
Nation's Presidents and their Families 



By GILSON WILLETS 

Author of "The Rulers of the World at Home," 
"The Workers of the Nation," "Recent Histories 
of the United States. Russia, Japan and China," Etc 



BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED WITH 
PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTIONS 





NEW YORK 




THE CHRISTIAN 


HERALD 


LOUIS 


KLOPSCH, Proprietor 




BIBLE HOUSE 








COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY LOUIS KLOPSCH 



// 



Sriitntftan 



TO THAT DEARLY LOVED 

"FIRST LADY" 

OF MINE OWN WHITE HOUSE, 

B?att Ufanfcnwr Wtilrfa 

WHOSE DEVOTION HATH MADE POSSIBLE 
THE PEACEFUL, CLOISTERED DAYS 
NECESSARY TO THE PRODUC- 
TION OF THIS WORK, I 
DEDICATE THIS 

'Kttfltto Iftslorg of % IMjtt* fintg*' 



INTRODUCTION 

NEW YEAR'S DAY, 1909, will mark the one hundredth 
and eighth anniversary of the formal opening of the 
White House, at Washington, as the official home of the 
President of the United States. President John Adams, having 
taken possession of the newly-built "President's House" in 
November of 1800, held a public reception on the first day of 
January following, and thus on New Year's Day of 1801 
occurred the official "housewarming" of this now most historic 
and most important dwelling in the land of the patriots who 
fought for and won the privilege of erecting it as a home for 
their own independent ruler. 

On the fourth of March next, Theodore Roosevelt will bid 
farewell to the White House, and his successor will take his 
place within those walls as the twenty-seventh President of the 
United States. 

Upon these momentous events the attention of the popula- 
tion of each and every State and Territory in the Union, the 
attention of the whole people from Atlantic to Pacific, and from 
the Great Lakes to Rio Grande, will be fixed. What season 
more propitious, then, what occasion more opportune than the 
present for receiving in our homes this story of the one build- 
ing to which, more than any other building in the land, we are 
peculiarly and deeply attached? It seems, indeed, the timeliest 
of seasons for augmenting one's collection of books by this 
Inside; History of the White House. 

This is Presidential Year. It is the year in which we elect 
a new Chief Executive of the nation. And, following the elec- 
tion, the time comes when, with profound regret, we say adieu 
to one of the most extraordinary Presidents in our country's 



io Introduction 

history, while at the same time we welcome, with sincere con- 
gratulations, the inauguration and entrance to the White House 
of that forceful man who, for the next four years, will perform 
the arduous duties of the country's twenty-seventh Chief 
Magistrate. 

So is this the season when, by reason of the great events in 
connection with the Presidency, we become naturally and deeply 
interested in the most exalted office within the gift of the people ; 
in the different men who, through a century and more, have 
held that office ; in the man who at present holds that post ; in the 
man who is soon to succeed the incumbent of to-day ; and, above 
all, in the official and domestic life of each and every one of the 
masters and mistresses of the White House in the one hundred 
and eight years of its existence. 

The biography of the Presidents is perpetuated in many 
volumes already published. The present work is, therefore, by 
no means merely a series of biographical sketches of the lives of 
the Presidents. In this book the Presidents and their families 
are looked at and written about from a new viewpoint. The 
aim of the present work is to give the citizens of this country a 
complete account of the daily life, both domestic and official — 
how they worked, how they played — of the twenty-six Presi- 
dents and of the members of their families while they occupied 
the White House. 

This work, then, is the White House Life of the Presidents, 
their wives, their children and grandchildren — a record of the 
doings and sayings, from 1800 to the present time, of all the 
tenants who have had their fleeting day within that white walled 
home in Washington which is now, and ever has been, of pro- 
found interest to the American patriot. 

In the breast of the patriotic American the love of these 
three things is dominant : Love for the flag that protects him ; 
love for the Chief Magistrate whose duty it is to keep that flag 
aloft ; love for the building, the White House, that shelters the 
President of all the people. To those who so love the man and 
the house around whom and around which the government of 



Introduction i i 

this country revolves; this book will, it is reasonably believed, 
make strong appeal both to heart and brain. For in these pages 
will be found all the facts relating to every phase of official, 
social and family life of the men, women and children who have 
occupied that house at the National Capital over which our flag 
floats and in which our elected Chief Executive of to-day 
executes the laws for the benefit of eighty millions. 

Every one of the thousands of pilgrims who visit the White 
House yearly, every one of the millions who read about the 
White House in book or paper, feels some sense of ownership in 
this building, be his proprietary interest ever so infinitesimal. 
Lives there a youth who, upon seeing a picture of the White 
House, has not found his imagination carrying him into that 
beautiful building as President of the United States ? Within 
those walls all stand equal; save on the State occasions when 
the Rules of official precedence prevail. This is far and away 
the most hospitable dwelling in America. Here have been 
entertained more people than in any other house in the land. 
Ten thousand persons have passed through its rooms and 
shaken hands with the President on a New Year's Day. These 
are some suggestions of the associations, many and varied, that 
afford material upon which the present historian has drawn for 
the facts contained in the ensuing pages. 

Compared to a human being, the White House, as a build- 
ing, is the body ; the home created within that body is the soul. 
Man built the White House, the body ; but women have ever 
made the home which is its soul. How men built the house, 
how women brought soul into it, is here related in detail. 

The visible, tangible results of the home-making efforts of 
the women of the White House are manifest in the furniture, 
the decorations, the paintings, as placed there during the various 
administrations. Descriptions of the historical articles that 
stand upon the floors and that hang upon or decorate the walls, 
are given. 

And having described the scene, the setting, this work then 
proceeds to relate the comedies, dramas, tragedies, enacted by 



12 Introduction 

those who have dwelt amid the surroundings named. Here is 
revealed the life of the masters and mistresses of the White 
House as they lived it from day to day. The myriad memories 
of the mansion have each their place in these pages. Here is 
reproduced the humor and wit of the State dinner ; the romance 
and marriage and honeymoon of Presidents, their brides, their 
sons, their daughters ; here are accounts of fun and frolic on 
festive occasions — on Thanksgivings, at Christmas-tides and at 
receptions; here are the stories of historical ceremonies that 
have taken place in the White House; here are depicted occa- 
sions first of gaiety, then of gloom, of alternate exaltation and 
depression, that marked important periods in the life of the 
White House tenants ; here is set forth the tastes of the dwellers 
within this home — their habits, their mornings, noons and 
nights. 

In short, here is the intimate, personal, human and heart 
story of the Presidential home, hearth, fireside, a story embody- 
ing both the public and private life of the Presidents and their 
families at the Executive Mansion during twenty-six adminis- 
trations. 

Our twenty-six Presidents are here shown as husbands, 
fathers and grandfathers and White House hosts, rather than 
as statesmen. Not one of these Presidents came from west of 
the Mississippi. Eighteen of them were lawyers, the remain- 
ing eight being farmers, public officials or soldiers. But this 
work does not deal with sectional feelings or politics or policies ; 
it does not picture White House life according to administra- 
tions, but rather by events and personalities. It is not the 
Republican nor the Democrat that is here written about, but 
just the story of the man who was or is the President, together 
with the story of the woman who acted as mistress of the White 
House and as hostess of the nation. 

The personalities of our "First Gentlemen" and of our 
"First Ladies" have each their place between these covers. The 
business of Government as conducted at the White House is 
told in the chapters giving facts about the Presidents' secre- 



Introduction 13 

taries; about the Presidential mail and presents sent to the 
Chief Executives; about the Secret Service force that guards 
the "First Gentleman;" about Cabinet meetings, and about 
White House employes. 

Every important room within the mansion, with the furni- 
ture contained in it, is described. A glimpse is given of the 
White House collection of portraits, with the stories told by the 
artists who painted the pictures. The mansion was burned by 
the British in 1814 — and an account of that dreadful time is 
here set forth. How is the White House maintained? The 
facts relating to the maintenance of buildings and grounds, are 
included. Who was born in the White House? Who was 
christened there ? Who married there ? Who died there ? All 
these questions are answered. 

Here may be found the details as to matters of entertaining, 
etiquette and precedence, early-day "drawing-rooms" and 
levees, latter-day receptions and musicales. Facts about the 
serving of private and public dinners and other meals, and the 
stories of the kitchen and dining-room, will probably be of 
particular interest to the "First Lady" in each household in 
our country. 

Then, as to callers at the White House, and the guests who 
have slept within those walls — here are stories of the expe- 
riences of many of these, from the Prince of Wales and Prince 
Henry of Germany, down to Jefferson's farm manager and 
McKinley's farmer friend and Roosevelt's rough-rider friend. 

And Sunday, and the use of the Bible at the White House, 
together with the church-going and charities of the White 
House tenants — to these important phases of life in the Execu- 
tive Mansion are devoted three chapters. 

In conclusion, the last chapter contains all the facts in which 
the nation is at present interested concerning the successor to 
Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-seventh President of the United 
States, and his family. 

Many authorities have here been drawn upon for data. 
Wherever feasible, the text has been strengthened and the 



14 Introduction 

facts emphasized by quoting the actual words of the authorities, 
including accounts written by visitors to the White House, con- 
temporaneous press despatches, letters of the Presidents and 
letters of their wives and relatives, messages of the Presidents, 
various biographies, Government documents, official reports, 
and, in the case of one President at least, namely, John Quincy 
Adams, facts are here given in the form of extracts from the 
only diary of a President that has come down to us. 

The author submits this Inside History of the; White 
House to the public in the hope that those who read it will be 
inspired with as much of the spirit of patriotism as he gained in 

wntmg **■ GILSON WILLETS. 

November, 1908. • 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I 

Over a Century of the White House. — The three great periods 
of White House history — Opening the White House in 1800 — 
Various changes in the White House — Money spent on the 
President's home — N. P. Willis describes the White House of 
seventy years ago — The White House of the Civil War — The 
President's house to-day — White House facts of history — How 
the White House got its name 25 

CHAPTER II 

The First, Second and Third White Houses. — The "President's 
house," 1800 to 1814 — The first letter written in the "Presi- 
dent's house" — The Executive Mansion, 1814 to 1902 — The 
White House, 1902 to date — White House centennial day — 
Architects' report after the "restoration." 41 

CHAPTER m 

White House Life of the Roosevelts. — Roosevelt's informal 
inauguration — Roosevelt as a man and a public official — The 
stupendous labors of a President — President Roosevelt's day's 
work at the White House — Mr. Roosevelt's work-room — The 
Roosevelt method of work — Declining a third term — Mrs. 
Roosevelt at the White House — Mrs. Roosevelt as "First 
Lady" — Mrs. Roosevelt as White House hostess — Mrs. 
Roosevelt as wife and mother 60 

CHAPTER IV 

Inaugurations — Washington to Buchanan. — John Adams first 
to live in the White House — Jefferson first to be inaugurated 
in Washington — Madison and Monroe welcomed in Washing- 
ton — John Quincy Adams takes his father's place — Andrew 
Jackson moves in — Van Buren and the two Harrisons — From 
Tyler to Pierce — Buchanan wears his Lancaster suit ... 79 

CHAPTER V 

Inaugurations — Lincoln to Roosevelt. — Johnson enters sadly; 
Grant proudly — Hayes only President taking the oath in the 
White House — Garfield and Arthur inaugurations — Cleveland 
to Roosevelt, first days in Washington 90 



16 Contents 

CHAPTER VI 

PAGE 

Early "First Gentlemen" and Their Daily Routine. — First of 
the "First Gentlemen" in the White House — Jefferson polished 
despite "simplicity" — John Quincy Adams the scholar — "Old 
Hickory" in a rocking-chair — Van Buren the President 
serene — "Rough and ready" Taylor — President Fillmore a 
physical marvel — President Pierce eulogized by admirers . 99 

CHAPTER VH 

Later "First Gentlemen" and Their Day's Work. — Lincoln 
always accessible — Grant always a soldier — President Hayes 
the hospitable — Garfield's social and business habits — Arthur, 
handsomest of Presidents — Benjamin Harrison a tremendous 
worker — Cleveland's autobiography — McKinley's daily routine 107 

CHAPTER VIU 

"First Ladies" and Presidents' Widows. — Presidents who mar- 
ried widows — Three living widows of the Presidents — Mrs. 
Garfield living in Pasadena — Mrs. Benjamin Harrison living 
in Indianapolis — Mrs. Cleveland living in Princeton — Pensions 
drawn by Presidents' Widows 119 

CHAPTER DC 

Early White House Hostesses. — The reign of Dolly Madison — 
Mrs. Monroe an accomplished woman — Mrs. John Quincy 
Adams a "brilliant ornament" — The first and second Mrs. 
Tyler — Mrs. James K. Polk both religious and charitable . 126 

CHAPTER X 

Later White House Hostesses. — Mrs. U. S. Grant loved official 
life — Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Garfield — The first Mrs. Benjamin 
Harrison — Mrs. Grover Cleveland a second Dolly Madison — 
Mrs. McKinley an invalid "First Lady" 137 

CHAPTER XI 

Relatives as "First Ladies." — Jefferson's granddaughter does 
the honors — Jackson's "First Ladies" — President Van Buren's 
daughter-in-law presides — Harrison and Tyler families — Offi- 
cial ladies under Taylor, Fillmore and Buchanan — Johnson's 
daughter and Arthur's sister as hostesses 146 

CHAPTER XH 

Secretaries to the Presidents. — President Roosevelt's secre- 
tary — How Mr. Loeb handles the White House business — 
McKinley's secretary, George B. Cortelyou — Lincoln's private 
secretary, John Hay — President Grant's secretary. Horace 
Porter — Other notable White House secretaries — The social 
secretary at the White House 158 



Contents 17 

CHAPTER Xm 

PAGE 

Letters and Gifts for the Presidents. — How President Roose- 
velt's mail is handled — President McKinley's enormous corre- 
spondence — Gifts sent to the White House — Presents received 
by Mr. Roosevelt — Jackson, Grant and McKinley received 
strange presents — Mighty cheeses at the President's house . 167 

CHAPTER XPV 

Employes and Clerical Staff. — Colonel Crook, paymaster — Fifty 
years in government service — Captain Pendel's forty years as 
doorkeeper — Chief messenger and chief intelligence officer — 
Duties of the stewards — The corps of waiters 175 

CHAPTER XV 

Secret Service and Military Aides. — Guards at the New Year's 
reception — How Harrison and Cleveland were "Secret Serv- 
iced" — The White House military aides 183 

CHAPTER XVI 

Presidential Messages and Cabinets. — In the Cabinet Room 
with President Roosevelt — Cleveland's official family — Andrew 
Jackson's "kitchen cabinet" 190 

CHAPTER XVH 

Public and Private Rooms. — The famous East Room — The Blue 
Room — The Red and Green Rooms — The State dining-room — 
The Roosevelt bedrooms — Private dining-room and library — 
Cost of furniture and a historic desk 195 

CHAPTER XVm 

White House Portraits and Painters. — Roosevelt as a "sitter" — 
McKinley sits for the "court painter" — Artist Carpenter lives 
with President Lincoln — Portraits in the home of the Presi- 
dent — Pictures in various rooms — Portraits of the "First 
Ladies" 203 

CHAPTER XIX 

Maintenance of Building and Grounds. — Congressional appro- 
priations for maintenance — Light, heat and water — "Presi- 
dent's park," terraces and conservatories 214 

CHAPTER XX 

Three Alarms of Fire. — When the British burned the White 
House — When the White House stables were burned — Burn- 
ing of the White House conservatories 218 



18 Contents 

CHAPTER XXI PAGE 

Babies of the White House. — Birth of a granddaughter to Gen- 
eral Grant — Three girls born in the White House — Other 
births in the President's house — Christened in the Green, 
Red and East Rooms 227 

CHAPTER XXH 

Child Life at the President's House. — The Roosevelt children — 
How Grant joined in children's pleasures — President Cleve- 
land's babies — Lincoln's way with children — President Tyler 
played forfeits . 234 

CHAPTER XXm 

Sons of the Presidents. — Well-known Presidents' sons — Lin- 
coln's son once a White House tenant — A distinguished son 
of General Grant — Two sons of President Garfield — A son of 
President Tyler 239 

CHAPTER XXTV 

Daughters of the Presidents. — President Roosevelt's daughter 
"Princess Alice" — Another Roosevelt daughter — "The daugh- 
ter of the nation," Nellie Grant — President Tyler's daughter . 246 

CHAPTER XXV 

Grandchildren of the Executive Mansion. — A grandson of 
President Grant — Grandchildren in Benjamin Harrison's 
term — A granddaughter of Jackson's time 255 

CHAPTER XXVI 
Brides of the White House. — Fourteen newly-wedded White 
House couples — Early White House weddings — When Presi- 
dent Hayes gave the bride away — Marriage of four sons of 
Presidents — Marriage of four daughters of Presidents . . 263 

CHAPTER XXVH 
Bridegroom-Presidents. — The only President who married in the 
White House — Mrs. Cleveland as a bride — President Tyler 
brings a bride to Washington — President Hayes' silver wedding 271 

CHAPTER XXVm 

Romance of Nellie Grant. — General Grant's daughter a White 
House bride — Nellie Grant's wedding ceremony — Doorkeeper 
Pendel's story of the Grant nuptials 281 

CHAPTER XXLX 

Romance of Alice Roosevelt. — The Roosevelt-Longworth wed- 
ding ceremony — Alice Roosevelt cut the wedding cake with 
a sabre — Presents from Kings to "Princess Alice" . . . 286 



Contents 19 

CHAPTER XXX 

PAGE 

Entertaining at the White House. — Music at the White 
House — The White House piano — Dancing and other amuse- 
ments — The question of temperance 289 

CHAPTER XXXI 

Etiquette and Precedence. — Washington's conception of official 
etiquette — Jefferson's simple social forms — The order of pre- 
cedence to-day 297 

CHAPTER XXXH 

Early-Day "Drawing-Rooms" and Levees. — President Monroe's 
"drawing-rooms" — President J. Q. Adams as the nation's 
host — President Van Buren's "drawing-room" — President 
Polk holds a levee — President Fillmore receives in the 
morning < 302 

CHAPTER XXXm 

Latter-Day Receptions and Handshaking. — President McKin- 
ley's card receptions — President Roosevelt receives thou- 
sands — President Lincoln's "monster" reception — How Presi- 
dent Hayes entertained — Handshaking by the Presidents — 
Lincoln blisters his fingers at a reception 308 

CHAPTER XXXIV 

Holidays at the White House — Christmas at the Executive 
Mansion — New Year's day and the great reception — A White 
House program on New Year's day — First New Year's recep- 
tion in the "Presidents' house" — N.-P. Willis describes Presi- 
dent Tyler's New Year's reception — Cleveland's first and last 
New Year's receptions — Fourth of July at the White House — 
Washington's Birthday a gala occasion — Washington's Birth- 
day observed by Cleveland — The Easter Monday egg 
rolling 318 

CHAPTER XXXV 

Dinners and Other Meals. — Luncheons, formal and informal — 
Arrangements for dinners at the White House — President 
Roosevelt's dinners — President McKinley's dinner arrange- 
ments — A State dinner when Hayes was host — Brilliant din- 
ner party given by President Monroe 334 

CHAPTER XXXVI 

At the Table and in the Kitchen. — What the President eats — 

The White House kitchen — The wonderful china service . 341 



20 Contents 

CHAPTER XXXVH 

PAGE 

Calling on the President. — The unwritten law of the White 
House — How President McKinley received callers — Lincoln's 
gentleness with White House callers — Grant made rigid White 
House rules — Grant forbids usher to lie for him .... 346 

CHAPTER XXXVm 

Notable Visitors at the White House. — Author of The Simple 
Life visits President Roosevelt — McKinley entertains his 
farm manager — Washington Irving meets Dolly Madison — 
Irving the guest of President Fillmore — Thackeray received 
at the White House — James Fenimore Cooper a guest of 
President Monroe — Captain Marryat visits Van Buren — 
Charles Dickens .at the Executive Mansion 354 

CHAPTER XXXIX 

Royal and Titled Guests. — President Roosevelt's titled visitors — 
President Tyler's titled guest — A Bonaparte entertained by 
Lincoln — Grant receives the King of the Sandwich Islands — 
Grand Duke Alexis visits Grant — Queen of Hawaii guest of 
President Johnson — The Infanta Eulalie received by President 
Cleveland 367 

[CHAPTER XL 

Prince of Wales and General Lafayette. — Prince of Wales 
guest of President Buchanan — Details of His Highness' 
reception — General Lafayette guest of President J. Q. Adams 277 

CHAPTER XLI 

When Diplomats Pay Their R.espects. — Receiving a newly 
arrived foreign envoy — Receiving the first foreign minister — 
Annual grand reception to the Diplomatic Corps — Annual din- 
ner for the envoys of all nations — Visit of the first Japanese 
Embassy — Korean and Turkish diplomats at the White 
House — A famous Russian minister and his American wife 382 

CHAPTER XLH 

Sunday and the Bible at the White House. — How Mr. Roose- 
velt spends his Sundays — President McKinley spent the day 
with his wife — President McKinley fond of singing hymns — 
Lincoln listens spellbound to a hymn — The great liberator 
quotes the Bible — Grant talks on the Bible — How Grant 
regretted Sunday battles — Cleveland's view of the Bible — 
Cleveland on Christian citizenship 395 



Contents 21 

CHAPTER XLIH 

PAGE 

Church-Going of the Presidents. — The White House churches — 
President Roosevelt at various churches — How President 
McKinley worshiped — Four Presidents as church members — 
How Lincoln blessed the churches 403 

CHAPTER XLIV 

Charities of the White House Tenants. — How Mr. Roosevelt 
helped the Chinese famine sufferers — Hayes and Cleveland per- 
formed kindly services — M r s. McKinley's kindly activities as 
"First Lady" — Mrs. Hay.^. helped the destitute — President 
Arthur's family helped children 413 

CHAPTER XLV 

Recreations of the Presidents. — President Roosevelt's outdoor 
pastimes in Washington — President McKinley's daily walks — 
Grover Cleveland on the outdoor life — President Jackson 
lends his riding horse to a friend 421 

CHAPTER XLVI 

Presidential Horses, Carriages and Stables — President Roose- 
velt's ten horses — Stables of Washington, Arthur and Cleve- 
land — Mrs. McKinley's traps attracted attention — How Presi- 
dent Grant bought his finest trotter — President Grant's patience 
with his coachman — Thomas Jefferson's equipages — President 
Jackson's eccentric and historical vehicles — General Taylor's 
war horse , ' 429 

CHAPTER XLVE 

Presidential Farewells to the White House. — Jefferson said 
farewell with tears of joy — Jackson's return to his beloved 
"Hermitage" — Van Buren leaves democratically on foot — 
President Tyler exchanges White House for hotel — President 
Johnson smiles while his friends weep — President Hayes' last 
hours in the White House — When the "Baby McKees" went 
away with Harrison — When Grant revisited the White 
.House — Benjamin Harrison a visitor where he once was 
Master : . . 436 

CHAPTER XLVm 

Died in the White House. — The death of President Harrison — 
The first White House funeral — The death of President 
Taylor — The passing of three White House mistresses — Death 
of Lincoln's son, "Tad" — Other deaths in the White House . 447 



22 Contents 

CHAPTER XLK 

PAGE 

Passing of the Three Martyred Presidents. — The passing of 
Lincoln — Mr. Lincoln's last moments in the White House — 
President Lincoln's funeral — The passing of Garfield and 
McKinley — The news of Garfield received at the White 
House — How McKinley met martyrdom — News of McKin- 
ley's death received at the White House 455 

CHAPTER L 

Our Twenty-seventh President. — Taft not a stranger at the 
White House — Mr. Taft's career — Mr. Taft's qualifications 
for the Presidency — How Mr. Taft trained to be Chief 
Executive — Mr. Taft's hard labor and his hard working secre- 
tary — At school and in college — Mrs. Taft, thirty-third "First 
Lady" — Mrs. Taft as wife and mother — Some characteristics 
of Mrs. Taft — Elder son of the Tafts — The younger son — 
Miss Helen Taft, new "daughter of the White House" — The 
home life of the Tafts — The Tafts as church members — Mr. 
Taft's outdoor recreations — Some of Mr. Taft's characteris- 
tics — Mr. Taft's brother and mother — The Vice-President- 
elect and Mrs. Sherman 464 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 

Gilson Willets Frontispiece 

Presidents from Washington to Fillmore 36 

Presidents from Pierce to Roosevelt 37 

Ladies of the White House . 56 

Ladies of the White House 57 

The Roosevelt Family 67 

The White House Before the Recent Alterations .... 77 

The White House as it was in 1800 77 

Miss Belle Hagner, Secretary to Mrs. Roosevelt ... . . 87 

Mr. Wm. Loeb, Jr., Secretary to President Roosevelt ... 87 

Historic Gifts to Washington, Grant and Lincoln ... 98 

President and Mrs. McKinley 115 

The Famous White House Tulip Beds in Spring Time . . 134 

Easter Monday on the White House Grounds 151 

Egg Rolling on Easter Monday 151 

The Model White House Kitchen 170 

The President's Private Family Dining Room 170 

Cut Glass Service Used at the White House Table . . . 188 

The Famous New Decorated China Service 188 

The Patriotic State Dining Room Sideboard in the White 

House . T 205 

Interior of the White House Stables 223 

Some of the White House Pets 242 

Ready for a Morning Ride 242 

Army and Navy New Year's Callers at the White House . 260 

The President's Public Reception on New Year's Day . . 260 

In the Spacious White House Corridors 277 

The White House and Executive Office Building .... 277 

The Executive Office Building 295 

Interior View of the Main Office 295 

The Cabinet Room with its Historical Portraits . . . . 314 

The President's Private Office 314 

President Roosevelt at His Desk 332 

The President's Room 349 

A Corner in the White House Library 349 



2A Illustrations 

PAGE 

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Longworth 359 

The White House as it is To-day 373 

The Spacious and Imposing State Dining Room 384 

The East Room Decorated for Public Functions .... 390 

The Historically Famous East Room 407 

The Main Hall of the White House 407 

The Simple Colonial Blue Room 425 

The Red Room of the White House 444 

The Green Room of the White House 466 

Mr. and Mrs. Taft and Family 475 

Note — The photographs used in the Inside History of the White 
House are copyrighted by Clinedinst, Washington, D. C. 



INSIDE HISTORY OF THE 
WHITE HOUSE 

CHAPTER I 
Over A Century of the White House 

THE people of the United States are more attached to the 
White House and its associations than to any other 
building in America. 
So intimated President Roosevelt in his message to Congress 
in 1902, when he reported that "the White House has now 
been restored to what it was planned to be by Washington." 
As a result of that restoration of the historical structure six 
years ago, by which all the disfiguring and incongruous addi- 
tions and changes of a century were eliminated, the White 
House of to-day stands and looks and is as it was meant to be 
as originally conceived by "The Father of His Country." 

Thousands of pilgrims from every State in the Union, hun- 
dreds of tourists from every country in the world, visit the 
White House in the course of each year. To them the build- 
ing and grounds form a sort of Mecca to which they are drawn 
through much reading, day by day, of the dramas, comedies 
and tragedies enacted within its beloved walls. 

The people's interest in the White House is quite different 
from their interest in the Capitol building. They hold the Cap- 
itol in awe because of the business transacted there, because of 
the laws enacted there affecting the whole nation, Their in- 



26 Inside; History op* the; White House 

terest in the Capitol is an interest of the brain. But the com- 
mon interest in the White House is a heart interest. The Cap- 
itol is, in a sense, the ofhce of the nation. But the White House 
is the national hearthstone where gather the members at the 
First Family of The Land. 

Ever since the White House was opened to the public for 
the first time, by President John Adams, one hundred and 
eight years ago, the people of this country have read of the 
joys and griefs ; the births, marriages and deaths ; the festivi- 
ties and the mournings ; the love and laughter and daily life of 
the men and women who, each for a brief time, have been its 
tenants. And so, the White House, through its associations, 
has become invested with a deep human interest for all the 
people all the time. And it is this human side of the residence 
of the "First Gentleman" and "First Lady," in its various 
aspects and kaleidoscopic changes, that is set forth in the fol- 
lowing pages. 

Every patriotic person in the country loves his President 
next to his flag. Each one of us likes to read what the Presi- 
dent does day by day, how he looks, how he spends his time, 
how he passes the Sabbath, where he worships, what recrea- 
tions he takes, how he treats his guests and what he says to 
them. Each one of us likes to know the details of the domes- 
tic, as well as the private life, of the "First Lady" and the other 
members of the President's family. We like to know of the 
tastes and habits of the wife and daughter and son of the Chief 
Executive, how they conduct themselves at receptions, and 
how, in a thousand and one ways, they endear themselves to 
the people from coast to coast. Scenes of sorrow and scenes 
of joy within the White House are equally interesting, each in 
their way, to the heart of the American. And it is such infor- 
mation concerning the Presidents and their families, and a 
description of such scenes within the Executive Mansion that 
are described in the ensuing chapters. 

The three chief events of human life are birth, marriage 
and death. The White House has had its share of each of 



Over a Century oe the White House 27 

these events, and a record of each such happening is here in- v 
eluded. Every entertainment in the White House is more or 
less an historical event. The scenes and incidents inseparable 
from such entertainments, whether pathetic, tragic or amus- 
ing, are part of this history. 

If any distinguished American, man or woman, visits the 
White House; if any foreign visitor, royal or titled, is enter- 
tained in the mansion of the President, every act of such guest 
or visitor has peculiar interest to the public. Hence the com- 
ings and goings of notable guests are here chronicled. 

In particular when the guest at the White House happens 
to be a near relative of the President, we like to read the story 
of how such relative was received. President Garfield's mother 
was a notable figure at her son's reception and welcome at the 
White House on the day of inauguration, and the touching in- 
cident of Garfield giving his aged mother his first kiss as Presi- 
dent of the United States was described everywhere in the 
press ; and the nation loved Garfield all the better for that act. 
Buchanan's niece, Miss Harriet Lane, acted as the "First Lady" 
during her uncle's administration, and the nation learned to 
love her. President Cleveland's sister, Miss Rose Cleveland, 
acted for a time as "First Lady," and everything she did and 
said became of real interest to the public. And as for the visit 
of a father of a President to the White House — the first Presi- 
dent's father that, we are told, visited his son in the White 
House was Mr. Fillmore's aged parent. When he appeared 
at one of the levees people could not believe that the tall, erect 
gentleman was actually an octogenarian. 

Mention of the foregoing Presidential relatives and their 
presence at the White House and the interest taken in them 
by Americans, suggest the hundreds of such incidents that are 
to be set forth in this book in detail. 

The Three Great Periods of White House History 

Now as to the story of the White House itself. The his- 
tory of the one hundred and eight years of the existence of the 



28 Inside; History of the White House 

Presidential mansion in Washington is divided into three 
periods, thus : The first period covers the story of the first 
White House at the time it was called the "President's House," 
from 1800 when President John Adams moved into the house, 
to the burning of the house by the British in 1814. The second 
period deals with the White House in all the years from its 
restoration in 18 18 (though the work was not completed until 
1829), to its remodeling in 1902, during which time it was 
known officially as the Executive Mansion. The third period 
embraces the immediate past and the present — from 1902, when 
the building was remodeled under direction of President Roose- 
velt, to the present time when the twenty-seventh President is 
about to take possession of it. 

A description of the White House, as a building, in each 
of the three periods named, is given in the following chapter. 

The present chapter contains an historical summary of the 
century and more of White House and Presidential life in-, 
eluded in the three great periods of the existence of the mansion. 

Opening the White House in i 800 

George C. Evans, in his book on Washington, referring to 
the completion of the mansion now known as the White House, 
tells us that : The corner-stone of the President's House was 
laid October 13, 1792, and that of the Capitol September 18, 
1793. The work on these important buildings was carried on 
as rapidly as the meagre appropriations of Congress would al- 
low. Had it not been for gifts and loans made by Maryland 
and Virginia, it is doubtful if they would have been ready for 
occupancy at the appointed time, 1800. However, the White 
House was so far finished that the President's family could 
live in it. 

A confidential letter from Mrs. John Adams to her daugh- 
ter (probably the first letter ever written in the White House) 
gives a graphic description of her sensations upon entering the 
"wilderness city," and the bleak appearance of the empty 
"castle" to which they were ushered. It was cold and damp, 



Over a Century oe the White House 29 

and the principal stairs had not been put up. There were 
twenty rooms, each twenty-two feet high ; but only six of these 
were habitable. There were no looking-glasses, except "dwarfs" 
and the East Room, which measured eighty-two by forty feet, 
was used to hang the family wash to dry. Mrs. Adams sums 
tip the list of her grievances by saying: "If they will put up 
some bells and let me have wood enough to keep up fires, I 
design to be pleased." Although not able "to see wood for 
trees," fuel was scarce and had risen in price from four dollars 
to nine dollars a cord. 

Various Changes in th" White House 

"The Palace" was the name given occasionally to the White 
House by its first tenants. "But," we are informed by one his- 
torian writing in a Munsey publication, "conditions changed as 
Washington developed from a wilderness into a rich and hand- 
some city, as the nation grew in wealth and numbers, as the 
business of the Executive Office increased, and as the railroads 
began to bring vast throngs of politicians, office-seekers and 
sightseers with a claim, real or fancied, upon the time and 
attention of the republic's chief servant, the President. As 
a result, the White House became unequal to the demand 
upon it." 

As the public's demands upon the President's house in- 
creased, his family and his home life were correspondingly en- 
croached upon. As early as Jackson's day, as quoted above, 
there were complaints of lack of room for the reception of 
visitors. These complaints continued intermittantly right 
down to the administration of President Roosevelt, when, as al- 
ready recorded, the White House was at last enlarged by two 
wings and by other improvements and accommodations, to 
meet modern requirements. 

Money Spent on the President's Home 

Much money has been spent upon this abode of the Presi- 
dents, though Congress has more than once been called "nig- 



30 Inside History of the White House 

gardly" in respect to appropriations for its maintenance. How- 
ever, the architects, who remodeled the building only a few 
years ago, Messrs. McKim, Mead and White, after a careful 
study of the structure, said that, way back in the time when 
the nation was in its infancy, those who planned the White 
House performed their work on "a scale that is adequate to 
the purposes even to-day." 

Its elegance, its roominess, its dignity, are characteristics of 
this historical building that were given to it, not by any latter- 
day architect, but by the original architect and builders over a 
hundred years ago. One member of Congress, in delivering 
an address on the White House in 1840, said of it, with some- 
thing more than patriotic zeal, that "it is a Palace as splendid 
as that of the Caesar's, and as richly adorned as the proudest 
Asiatic mansion, the building alone costing $333,207 previous 
to its destruction by the British, and $301,496.25 more since 
that time to the present (1840) date." 

In every decade, and with the incoming of each new Presi- 
dent, more and more money has been appropriated to "run the 
White House" until to-day the budget for White House ex- 
penses amounts to an average of one thousand dollars a week. 

A source of continual expense, it is recorded, is the fact 
that the mansion, being constructed of Virginia freestone, ex- 
ceedingly porous, a thick coat of white lead has to be applied 
every ten years to prevent dampness from penetrating to the 
interior. 

By some historians, and by certain tenants of the White 
House, too, it has been stated that despite all the money lav- 
ished upon the home of the Presidents, it was not until Presi- 
dent Roosevelt remodeled the building that it was made en- 
tirely sanitary and healthful. When President William Henry 
Harrison died there, and later when President Taylor passed 
away within its walls, the newspapers, and even the windows 
of the Presidents named, declared the White House to be "in 
a dangerously unsanitary state." The daughter of Senator 
Benton, of Missouri, Mrs. Fremont, writes of precautions taken 




CUT GLASS SERVICE USED AT THE WHITE HOUSE TABLE 




THE FAMOUS NEW DECORATED CHINA SERVICE 



Over a Century oE the White House 31 

by President Van Buren against sickness in the White House, 
saying : 

"Mr. Van Buren had the glass screen put quite across that 
windy entrance hall, and great wood fires made a struggle 
against the chill of the house, but it was so badly underdrained 
that in all long rains the floors of kitchens and cellars were ac- 
tually under water. 

N. P. Willis Describes the White House of Seventy- 
Years Ago 

An account of the White House as it was in 1840, when the 
famous American poet, N. P. Willis, visited it, is found in that 
author's "American Scenes," in which it is stated that : 

"The residence of the Chief Magistrate of the United 
States resembles the country seat of an English nobleman, in 
its architecture and size ; but it is to be regretted that the paral- 
lel ceases when we come to the grounds. By itself it is a com- 
modious and creditable building, serving its purpose without 
too much state for a republican country, yet likely, as long as 
the country exists without primogeniture and rank, to be suf- 
ficiently superior to all other dwelling houses to mark it as the 
residence of the nation's chief. 

"The President's House stands near the centre of an area 
of some twenty acres, occupying a very advantageous eleva- 
tion, open to the view of the Potomac and about forty-four 
feet above high water, and possessing from its balcony one of 
the loveliest prospects in our country — the junction of the two 
branches of the Potomac which border the District and the 
swelling and varied shores beyond the States of Maryland and 
Virginia. The building is 170 feet front and 86 deep, and is 
built of white freestone, with Ionic pilasters, comprehending 
two lofty stories, with a stone balustrade. The north front is 
ornamented with a portico sustained by four Ionic columns, 
with three columns of projection, the outer intercolumniation 
affording a shelter for carriages to drive under. The garden 
front on the river is varied by what is called a rusticated base- 



32 Inside History of the White House 

ment story, in the Ionic style, and by a semicircular projecting 
colonnade of six columns, with two spacious and airy flights of 
steps leading to a balustrade on the level of the principal story. 
"The interior of the President's House is well disposed and 
possesses one superb reception room and two oval drawing- 
rooms (one in each story) of very beautiful proportions. The 
other rooms are not remarkable, and there is an inequality in 
the furniture of the whole house (owing to the unwillingness 
and piecemeal manner with which Congress votes any moneys 
for its decoration) which destroys its effect as a comfortable 
dwelling. The oval rooms are carpeted with Gobelin tapestry, 
worked with the National emblems, and are altogether in a 
more consistent style than the other parts of the house. It is 
to be hoped that Congress will not always consider the furni- 
ture of the President's House as the scapegoat of all sumptuary 
and aristocratic sins, and that we shall soon be able to intro- 
duce strangers not only to a comfortable and well-appointed, 
but to a properly served and nicely kept, Presidential Mansion." 

The White House of the Civil War 
One description of the White House as it was during and 
right after the Civil War, tells of the entrance of President 
Johnson to the mansion, following the assassination of Lincoln. 
From this account we learn that the White House itself was 
"in anything but an inviting condition." Soldiers had tramped 
over the Brussels carpets, and guards had slept on the sofas 
till all the furniture on the first floor was worn and soiled. In 
the spring of 1866 an appropriation of $30,000 was made to re- 
furnish the mansion, and under the wise, economical care of 
Mrs. Patterson, President Johnson's daughter, this sum pro- 
duced a simple but elegant result. Only necessary changes 
were made. Old wall paper was brightened by adding gilt 
panels and ornaments, and the interior was pronounced hand- 
somer than ever. Several fine paintings of former Presidents, 
which were lying in the dust of the garret, were, by order of Mr. 
Johnson, brought down, set in new frames, and placed upon the 



Over a Century oe the White House 33 

walls as the most appropriate decoration. It was not until after 
the war that the White House grounds were graded, the stone 
embankment, which rose several feet above the level of the 
street, removed, and the present iron fence substituted. 

The President's House To-day 

As already stated, President Roosevelt rebuilt the White 
House in 1902, his orders being executed in such a way that 
the building was restored to conform to its original design, 
though two wings were added, one being used as the Temporary 
Executive Offices, the other for use on social occasions. These 
changes and improvements were made at a cost of over $600,- 
000. Thus President Roosevelt has done more for the White 
House than any of his predecessors. Yet each President, from 
Adams down, made certain changes, each according to his 
notion of what the Executive Mansion should look like and 
stand for. 

As the architects who worked under Mr. Roosevelt's direc- 
tion said, "it was necessary to reconstruct the interior of the 
White House from basement to attic, in order to secure com- 
fort, safety and necessary sanitary conditions." 

And now experts declare that the long standing problem of 
an appropriate home for the President is settled for years to 
come. 

White House Facts of History 

In 1900, was celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of 
the opening of the White House, all Washington joining in the 
festivities- On that occasion many speeches were made by 
public officials, and no end of Government reports were printed, 
from which we glean the following information : 

In pursuance of law, in May, 1800, the archives and general 
offices of the Federal Government were removed to Washing- 
ton. On May 28, 1800, a notice was posted on the office door 
of the Secretary of State in Philadelphia, the old capital, of 
which the following is a copy : 

"The office of the Department of State will be removed this 



34 Inside History of the White House 

day from Philadelphia. All letters and applications are there- 
fore to be addressed to that Department at the city of Wash- 
ington from this date." 

President Adams had left Philadelphia the preceding day, 
and made the journey to Washington overland. The books, 
papers, furniture, etc., of the Government were brought by 
water transportation and landed at one of the wharves and 
thence carted to the several offices. Washington was then a 
mere village and poorly prepared to entertain the officers of 
the Government, although the number was small. The em- 
ployees for the first year in the new city, apportioned among 
the Departments, were as follows : State Department, 8 clerks ; 
Treasury Department, 75 ; War Department, 17 ; Navy Depart- 
ment, 16, and Post Office Department, 10; making in all 126 
clerks. The total sum paid in salaries in that year was $125,881. 
The population of Washington was estimated to be about 3,000. 
The statistics show that on May 15, 1800, there were 199 brick 
and 253 framed houses in the city. 

Under an enactment of Congress George Washington 
appointed commissioners to take charge of the laying out of 
Washington city as a national capital for all time. The com- 
missioners thus named employed Major l'Enfant, a French 
engineer and a friend of Thomas Jefferson, to lay out the city. 
He adopted the plan of Versailles, the seat of the Government 
of France, as a basis for his work. The admirable location of 
the Capitol and the White House is due to him- 

Further information of historic interest, given in Govern- 
ment documents, include these facts about the work, from time 
to time, on the White House : 

The architect of the White House was James Hoban, a 
native of Dublin, Ireland, whose plans were selected as the 
result of a competition which closed on July 15, 1792. Hoban's 
design called for a central building with wings ; but his original 
drawings have been lost, and only the plans for the main build- 
ing remain. Hoban superintended both the erection of the 
White House and its restoration after it was burned by the 

■ 







PRESIDENTS FROM WASHINGTON TO FILLMORE 



I ( ;i oboi W isiiing row 

.' John An im» 

1 I HOM \< .li I i KRSON 

i Jamb m \m~..\ 



5 James Mok rob 

6 JOHN QuiNCY Adams 

t As [>bew Jackson 
B M. Van Hi -i: kn 
( .» W. II. I [arribok 



10 John Tyler 

li James K. Polk 

12 L. Taylor 

18 Millard Fillmore 



CHAPTER II 

The First, Second and Third White Houses 

« 

AS STATED in the foregoing chapter, the White House, 
considered simply as a structure, may be divided his- 
^ torically into three periods. These periods may, for the 
sake of convenience, be said to embrace what may be called the 
first, second and third White Houses, thus : 

First, The President's House — 1800 to 1814, from its for- 
mal opening under President John Adams to its burning by 
the British, when Madison was President. 

Second, The Executive Mansion — 1818 to 1902- This per- 
iod, covers the rebuilding of the structure, after the fire, and 
all the administrations down to Roosevelt. 

Third, The White House — 1902 to the present time. This 
period begins with the remodeling, or, more properly, the 
restoration of the building, and involves a description of the 
structure as it now stands and as President Roosevelt's succes- 
sor, the twenty-seventh President of the United States, will 
find it. 

The "President's House"— J800 to 18H 

Though George Washington died one year before the com- 
pletion of the White House, it was he who, more than any 
other man, brought his influence to bear upon its location, its 
construction and its architecture. Fully nine years before John 
Adams took possession of the "President's House," and eight 
years previous to Washington's death, Washington sent a mes- 
sage to the Second Congress, then sitting in Philadelphia 
(December 13, 1791), reading as follows: 



.{2 [nsidB History of thk White Housk 

"Gentlemen of the Senate and of the House of Representa- 
tives, I place before you the plan of a city that has been laid 
out within the District of ten miles square, which was fixed 
upon for the Permanent Seat of the Government of the United 
States. G. Washington/' 

The District referred to is now known as the District of 
Columbia. 

Of the work of Washington in establishing the National 
Capita] at Washington in the District of Columbia, selecting 
the sites for the Houses of Congress and the residence of the 
['resident, a better understanding may be attained by the reader 
in the reminder that Washington's original profession was that 
of a surveyor and that all his life he was deeply interested in 
this held of work. It is not surprising, therefore, that those who 
were in power at the end of the Eighteenth Century, knowing 
Washington's fitness for the task of establishing a "Federal 
City," left the responsibility for the work largely with Wash-, 
ington. 

Plans were called for in a competition open to all architects. 
The winner in this competition was the architect, James Hoban, 
referred to in the previous chapter as the builder of the White 
House. He received $500 as the First Prize, "for the best 
plans submitted in the contest for the construction of a resi- 
dence for the Chief Executive." His design, Hoban admitted, 
was founded on the lines of the then newly-built mansion of 
the Duke of Leinster, in Dublin, Ireland (Hoban's native city,) 
the architect referring to the Duke's mansion as "a splendid 
example of Greek architecture." 

It is not necessary here to dwell upon the details of the 
original work of constructing the White House. Our story 
begins properly with the entrance of President John Adams to 
the nearly completed structure, in November, 1800. 

A description of the White House, as it was at that time, 
appeared in The Christian Herald, a few years ago, the 
account being written, the present writer believes, either by 
Mrs. Avery, or by Mrs. Abby G. Baker, of Washington, the 



The First, Second and Third White; Houses 43 

last-named being one of the foremost living authorities in the 
country on all matters pertaining to White House and Presi- 
dential life, extracts from her articles in The Christian Herald 
being used as authoritative statements in several different 
chapters in this history. 

In the particular account here in question we find it recorded 
that, in 1800, the Executive Mansion at Washington was a 
great unfinished building, standing in the midst of a sparsely 
settled district. In coming to take possession of it, President 
and Mrs. Adams had to drive over in a conveyance from Balti- 
more. The driver lost his way, and when they finally arrived 
at the new capital of the nation and the house which was being 
built for the President to live in, it was night, and the servants 
could hardly find lights enough to make the great rooms dis- 
tinguishable. They looked "exceedingly barn-like" to Mrs. 
Adams, in their unfinished and unfurnished state, and were 
pretty uncomfortable too, from the fact that she could not get 
enough firewood to keep them warm. That was in the fall of 
1800. By New Year's, 1801, the downstairs rooms were still 
unfinished and unfurnished. Mrs. Adams was using the East 
Room, which was then designated "the banqueting hall," in 
which to dry the household linen, and the State parlors were 
so in the name only. 

The First Letter Written in the President's House 

A letter written by Abigail Adams, wife of President John 
Adams, is alluded to briefly in the foregoing chapter- It is 
named as probably the first letter ever written in the White 
House. The full text of that letter is here given, with extracts 
from another letter written by Mrs. Adams within a few weeks 
of the first one. As human documents these letters are intensely 
interesting, and are of great value historically, since they 
embody a most graphic description of the White House as it 
was when it first became the residence of the Chief Magistrate. 
Mrs. Adams' first letter is dated November 21, 1800, and reads : 

"Woods are all you see from Baltimore until you reach the 



44 Inside History oe the White House 

city, which is only so in name. Here and there is a small cot, 
without a glass window, interspersed amongst the forests, 
through which you travel miles without seeing any human 
being. In the city there are buildings enough, if they were 
compact and finished, to accommodate Congress and those 
attached to it ; but as they are, and scattered as they are, I see 
no great comfort for them. The river, which runs up to Alex- 
andria, is in full view of my window, and I see the vessels as 
they pass and repass. The house is upon a grand and superb 
scale, requiring about thirty servants to attend and keep the 
apartments in proper order, and perform the ordinary busi- 
ness of the house and stables ; an establishment very well pro- 
portioned to the President's salary. The work of lighting the 
apartments, from the kitchen to parlors and chambers, is a tax 
indeed ; and the fires we are obliged to keep to secure us from 
daily agues are another very cheering comfort. To assist us 
in this great castle, and render less attendance necessary, bells 
are wholly wanting, not one single bell being hung through the- 
whole house, and promises are all you can obtain. This is so 
great an inconvenience that I do not know wtiat to do, nor how 
to do. The ladies from Georgetown and in the city have, many 
of them, visited me. Yesterday I returned fifteen visits — but 
such a place as Georgetown appears — why our Milton is beau- 
tiful. But no comparisons; if they will put me up some bells, 
and let me have wood enough to keep fires, I design to be 
pleased. I could content myself almost anywhere three months ; 
but, surrounded with forests, can you believe that wood is not 
to be had, because people cannot be found to cut and cart it? 
Briesler entered into a contract with a man to supply him with 
wood. A small part, a few cords only, has he been able to get. 
Most of that was expended to dry the walls of the house before 
we came in, and yesterday the man told him it was impossible 
for him to procure it to be cut and carted. He has had recourse 
to coals ; but we cannot get grates and set in. We have, indeed, 
come into a new country. 

"The house is made habitable, but there is not a single apart- 



The; First, Second and Third White; Housed 45 

ment finished, and all withinside, except the plastering, has 
been done since Briesler came. We have not the least fence, 
yard, or other convenience, without, and the great unfinished 
audience-room I make a drying-room of, to hang up the clothes 
in. The principal stairs are not up, and will not be this 
winter. Six chambers are made comfortable; two are occu- 
pied by the President and Mr. Shaw ; two lower rooms for a 
common parlor, and one for a levee room. Upstairs there is 
the oval room, which is designed for the drawing-room, and 
has the crimson furniture in it. It is a very handsome room 
now; but when completed, it will be beautiful.' If the twelve 
years in which this place has been considered as the future seat 
of government had been improved, as they would have been in 
New England, very many of the present inconveniences would 
have been removed. It is a beautiful spot, capable of every 
improvement, and the more I view it, the more I am delighted 
with it. 

"Since I sat down to write, I have been called down to a 
servant from Mount Vernon, with a billet from Major Custis, 
and a haunch of venison, and a kind congratulatory letter from 
Mrs. Lewis, upon my arrival in the city, with Mrs. Washing- 
ton's love, inviting me to Mount Vernon, where, health per- 
mitting, I will go, before I leave this place-" 

In a second letter, Mrs. Adams writes : 

"Briesler procured nine cords of wood; between six and 
seven of that was kindly burnt up to dry the walls of the house, 
which ought to have been done by the Commissioners, but 
which, if left to them, would have remained undone to this day. 

"The vessel which has my clothes and other matters, is not 
arrived. The ladies are impatient for a drawing-room ; I have 
no looking glasses but dwarfs for this house; nor a twentieth 
part lamps enough to light it. Many things were stolen, many 
more broken by the removal ; amongst the number, my tea china 
is more than half missing. Georgetown affords nothing. My 
rooms are very pleasant and warm whilst the doors of the hall 
are closed. 



4 <. Inside History of the White House 

•' You can scarcely believe it that here in this wilderness city, 
I should find my time so occupied as it is. My visitors, some of 
them, come three and four miles. The return of one of them 
is the work of one day; most of the ladies reside in George- 
town, or in scattered parts of the city at two and three miles 
distance. 

"We have all been very well as yet; if we can by any means 
get wood, we shall not let our fires go out, but it is at a price 
indeed ; from four dollars it has risen to nine. Some say it 
will fall, but there must be more industry than is to be found 
here to bring half enough to the market for the consumption of 
the inhabitants."' 

This first White House, or President's House, was destroyed 
in 1814, when vandals of. the British Army burned it and other 
public buildings — a full account of this being contained in the 
chapters headed "Fire Alarms" and in "Wives of the Early 
Presidents," and in "Portraits and Painters." 

The Executive Mansion— J SI 4 to 1902 

The rebuilding of the White House after its burning in 
1814, up to its final completion in 1829, increases one's admira- 
tion for its architectural beauties, and for its designer and 
builder, Hoban. 

It should be stated here, however, that the building was not 
totally destroyed by the fire, the official accounts stating that 
"the vaulting that supports some of the floors is very little, if 
at all weakened by the burning, and parts of the walls, arches 
and columns are in a state requiring a small expense to pre- 
serve them." 

Congress voted, nevertheless, the sum of $500,000 for 
"rebuilding and repairing the public buildings," the larger part 
of which money was spent on the Executive Mansion. For his 
magnificent work in "rebuilding and repairing" the Executive 
Mansion, Architect Hoban received a salary of $1,600 a year: 
while his Chief Inspector received $1,500; his clerk $4 a day; 
his foreman, $3.75, and his overseer, $2. 



The First, Second and Third White Houses 47 

The first President to live in the rebuilt mansion was James 
Monroe, who formally opened his official residence on January 
1, 1818, when the public was received at the New Year's recep- 
tion. Concerning the facts relating to Mr. Monroe's entrance 
to the newly restored mansion, two accounts have come down 
to us, the first being an entry in the diary of John Quincy 
Adams, dated September 20, 1817, and reading: 

"The President, James Monroe, returned last Wednesday 
from a tour of nearly four months to the eastern and western 
parts of the United States. He is in the President's house, 
which is so far restored from the effects of the British visit in 
1814, that it is now for the first time habitable. But he is 
apprehensive of the effects of the fresh painting and plas- 
tering, and very desirous of visiting his family at his seat in 
Virginia. He is, therefore, going again to leave the city in 
two or three days, but said his absence would only be for a 
short time." 

The second account was printed in the National Intelli- 
gencer on January 2, 1818, in which is related the story of the 
formal opening of the mansion at the New Year's reception, 
thus : 

"The charming weather of yesterday contributed to enliven 
the reciprocal salutations of kindness and good wishes which 
are customary at every return of New Year's Day. The Presi- 
dent's house, for the first time since its re-aerification, was 
thrown open for the general reception of visitors. It was 
thronged from twelve to three o'clock by an unusually large 
concourse of ladies and gentlemen, among whom were to be 
found the Senators, Representatives, heads of Departments, 
Foreign Ministers, and many of our distinguished citizens, resi- 
dents and strangers. It was gratifying to be able once more to 
salute the President of the United States with the compliments 
of the season in his appropriate residence ; and the continuance 
of this truly Republican custom has given, as far as we have 
heard, very general satisfaction. The Marine Corps turned 
out on the occasion and made a fine appearance." 



4 x [nside History of the White House 

The White House— 1902 to Date 

In the preceding chapter it is related that complaints of the 
limitations of the White House, both for entertaining and for 
the transaction of business, occurred in all administrations even 
as far back as Jackson's time. When President Roosevelt 
became the tenant of the Mansion, he at once took steps for 
the enlarging and remodeling of the White House, and suc- 
ceeded in accomplishing what is called officially "The Res- 
toration." 

Mr. Roosevelt secured an appropriation of some $600,000, 
from Congress, for the purpose of restoring the White House 
to an appearance as near as possible to the original design as 
approved by George Washington. Messrs. McKim, Mead and 
White, famous architects of New York, were placed in charge 
of the work, in the spring of 1902, with directions to complete 
the work in four months. This they did very successfully. 
Temporary Executive Offices were added — completed on Sep- 
tember 30, and occupied about October 15. The family apart- 
ments of the President were re-occupied on the fourth of 
November; the first official function in the restored White 
House occurred on December 18, when a Cabinet Dinner was 
given; and at the New Year's reception, January 1, 1903, the 
new White House was re-opened to the public. 

When the architects sent their report of the completed work 
to the President, that document was promptly transmitted to 
Congress by the President, with the following comments show- 
ing his appreciation of the work done : 

"Through a wise provision of the Congress at its last ses- 
sion, the White House, which had become disfigured by incon- 
gruous additions and changes, has now been restored to what 
it was planned to be by Washington. In making the restora- 
tions the utmost care has been exercised to come as near as pos- 
sible to the early plans and to supplement these plans by a care- 
ful study of such buildings as that of the University of Vir- 
ginia, which was built by Jefferson. The White House is the 
property of the nation, and so far as is compatible with living 



The; First, Second and Third White; Houses 49 

therein it should be kept as it originally was, for the same 
reasons that we keep Mount Vernon as it originally was. The 
stately simplicity of the architecture is an expression of the 
character of the period in which it was built, and is in accord 
with the purposes it was designed to serve. It is a good thing 
to preserve such buildings as historic monuments which keep 
alive our sense of continuity with the nation's past." 

White House Centennial Day 

After the lapse of a hundred years, the city of Washington 
fittingly celebrated "Centennial Day" — December 12, 1900 — 
this being the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment 
of the seat of national government at Washington and the 
opening of the White House, following the transfer of the 
National Capital from Philadelphia. The event was observed 
by a reception at the White House, a parade at the Capitol, and 
commemorative exercises in both houses of Congress. 

The programme began with a morning reception at the 
Executive Mansion to the Governors of the States and Terri- 
tories by President McKinley, followed by a display of the 
model and drawings of the proposed enlargement of the 
mansion. 

Three addresses were delivered that morning at the Execu- 
tive Mansion (the first formal addresses ever delivered in 
that place.) 

One of the speeches in question was delivered by the Hon. 
Henry B. E. MacFarland, of Washington. His remarks con- 
cerning the White House are well worth quoting, thus : 

"Every President, except George Washington, has per- 
formed the duties of his great office, the greatest in the world, 
within these White House walls. Simply to mention the 
names of John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, and James Madi- 
son, and then of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, brings 
before the mind a throng of great deeds done in this very house. 
Think of the expansion of the country by successive acts of the 
Presidents, beginning with Jefferson ! Think of the negotia- 



50 Inside History of the White House 

tions with foreign powers, of the war-making and of the peace- 
making, of the formation of far-reaching policies, and of all 
the dealings with Congress by President after President! 
Think what went on here under President Lincoln alone, when 
the eyes of the whole world were for the first time fixed upon 
the Capitol of the United States. 

"One hundred years ago the District of Columbia became 
the permanent seat of the Government of the United States. 
For the first time the young nation had a capital, after twenty- 
four years of wandering from one State to another. By July, 
1800, the six Executive Departments of that day were all in 
full working order here. By November, President Adams, 
after a visit of inspection in June, was occupying this house, 
and Congress was in session preparatory to the regular session 
in December." 

Architect's Report After the Restoration 

( )n the twenty-fifth of February, 1903, the architects, who 
had so successfully accomplished the restoration of the White 
House, sent their report to President Roosevelt. From that 
document we gain instructive information regarding the struc- 
tural conditions in the White House, together with enlightening 
information about the ground floor, the main floor, the elevator 
and the main stairway. 

That part of the Architects relating to "Rooms and Furni- 
ture" (not given in this chapter), will be found in the chapter 
under that head, while a description of the new Executive 
Offices is given in the chapter following this one, headed : 
"President and Mrs. Roosevelt's White House Life." 

Messrs. McKim, Mead and White, in the report in ques- 
tion, gave the following facts : 

On making as careful an examination of the White House 
as was possible while the house was occupied, it was found that 
the entire lower floor was used for house service. The prin- 
cipal rooms at the southeast corner were occupied by the laun- 
dry ; the central rooms on either side of the main corridor were 



The First, Second and Third White Houses 5 1 

used for the heating and mechanical plants ; the kitchens occu- 
pied the northwest corner ; and much of the remainder of this 
floor was occupied by storerooms and servants' bedrooms. 

Of the floors of the first story, those under the main hall, 
the private dining-room, and pantry, were found to be in good 
condition. The floor under the central portion of the East 
Room showed marked settlement, due to over-loading and to 
hanging heating coils to the ceiling underneath. The base of 
the room gave evidence of the settlement of the floor, and the 
same was true in the Green and the Blue rooms. The floor of 
the State dining-room, while not showing settlement, was so 
insufficiently supported as to cause the dishes on the sideboards 
to rattle when the waiters were serving, and the plastering 
below was badly cracked from excessive vibration. 

At large receptions, when potted plants were brought in 
from the greenhouses, and when the house was filled with 
people, it was the custom to put shores under the floors of the 
East Room, the State Dining-room and the main hall at both 
ends for safety. 

In many places, where the plaster was removed, evidence of 
the fire of 1814 were visible- Also cut into the stonework were 
found many names, evidently of workmen employed on the 
construction. 

The heating chamber, which contained the coils of the heat- 
ing apparatus, had been built into the main corridor. The fresh 
air duct and the heat mains were suspended from the corridor 
ceiling, the masonry arches having been cut away in conse- 
quence. The whole ground floor was in bad condition; there 
was about it a general air of dilapidation, and the wood-work 
particularly was out of repair. 

There was scarcely a room in the house in which the plaster 
was in good condition. In a number of instances as many as 
five layers of paper were found, and when the paper was 
removed the plaster came also. 

The second floor showed such a degree of settlement as to 
make an entire new floor necessary. The floors of the rooms 



52 Insidiv History of this White Housk 

heretofore devoted to the offices, also the library, were so insuf- 
ficient that steel beams were required. 

The enlargement of the State Dining-room by the removal 
of the north wall of the room, which wall carried the floor 
beams of the upper stories, made it necessary to build a heavy 
steel truss in the attic, from which the second floor is suspended. 

The attic, occupied by servants, was reached only by the 
elevator. It is true that from the attic there was a narrow 
winding stairway leading to a mezzanine floor adjacent to the 
elevator ; and from this mezzanine floor a swinging iron ladder 
let down from a trapdoor directly in front of the elevator — a 
most dangerous arrangement in case of fire. 

The roof drainage had been carried through the roof, and 
thence on top of the attic floor to central points, descending to 
the ground through the house itself. The conductors were 
troughs hollowed out of logs. These troughs have been 
replaced with wrought iron pipes, carried down along the exter- 
nal walls. The roof itself which, under a fresh coat of paint, 
appeared in good condition, was found to be in such bad shape 
as to require almost entire renewal. 

At first it was thought that the old heating apparatus could 
remain, at least in large part- Upon further examination, how- 
ever, it was found that only by the removal of all the duct work 
and heating coils, which were suspended from the ceilings 
throughout the ground floor, could this floor be made available 
for any uses other than those of service. The removal of ducts, 
etc., involved lowering the boiler and placing all pipes and 
ducts in trenches under the floor. The change necessitated a 
large unexpected expenditure, but in return the finely propor- 
tioned room under the Blue Room has become a rception room 
for guests of honor, and ample dressing-room accommodations 
not only for these guests, but for all the guests at public recep- 
tions have been added. 

The electric wiring was not only old, defective and obsolete, 
but actually dangerous, as in many places beams and studding 
were found charred for a considerable distance about the wires 



The First, Second and Third White Houses 53 

where the insulation had completely worn off. Where wires 
had carried through wood joists a porcelain insulating tube is 
usually placed through the beam and the wire threaded through 
that, but in the White House, in very many cases, the only pro- 
tection was the insulation on the wire itself, and that had been 
worn off by contact with the rough timber. The entire wiring 
system is now in accordance with the very best modern practice, 
all wires being run inside wrought iron pipes, so that if at any 
future time the wires should be burnt out or in any way dam- 
aged they can be withdrawn and new ones put in. 

A new standpipe with fire hose has been provided, running 
from the ground floor to the attic and carried outside the house 
to a point which is accessible to the city fire department, so that 
in case of fire the attic of the house has the same protection as 
a modern office building. 

In short, it was necessary to reconstruct the interior of the 
White House from basement to attic, in order to secure com- 
fort, safety and necessary sanitary conditions. 

The East and West terraces are first found on a plan drawn 
by Latrobe in 1807. The West Terrace had degenerated into 
workshops connected with the numerous greenhouses that had 
been constructed from time to time in such manner as not only 
to take away from it light and air, but entirely to conceal it. 
The East Terrace was removed some time prior to 1870. This 
terrace has been rebuilt in a substantial manner, with the addi- 
tion of a porte-cochere opposite the Treasury Department. In 
excavating for the new terrace wing the foundations of the old 
one were discovered. A semicircular drive leads to this new 
entrance, which now is used on all occasions of large enter- 
tainments. The porte-cochere, which is glassed-in during the 
winter, is flanked by watchmen's quarters, thus doing away 
with the small wooden pavilion in the grounds- The East Ter- 
race is occupied by coatrooms containing boxes for 2,500 
wraps, umbrella stands and other conveniences, thus doing 
away with the necessity of pressing into service as cloakrooms 
the main hall and the State and Private dining-rooms. 



54 Inside History of the White House 

In the house proper, more than one-half of the lower floor 
is given up to dressing-rooms, with toilet rooms attached, con- 
veniences heretofore entirely lacking. The removal of the 
pipes from the corridor gives a spacious passageway, dignified 
by the fine architectural features constructed by Hoban. Dec- 
orated with portraits and plants, and furnished with sofas and 
large chairs, this corridor is made comfortable for those who 
wish to wait for an opportunity to enter the line formed for the 
receptions. 

A stone floor has been laid, and a broad and easy flight of 
stone stairs leads to the main floor of the house. The kitchens 
have not been changed materially, but a new refrigerating room 
and many other conveniences have been added. 

The West Terrace wing now accommodates the Laundry 
and Ironing rooms, the maids' dining-room, and separate quar- 
ters for men and women servants. 

The removal of the greenhouses, besides adding materially 
to the healthfulness of the White House, has restored to the 
south front of the building that sense of dignity of which, dur- 
ing the past forty years, it had been deprived by the various 
encroachments. The fine colonnades on the south fronts of 
the terraces, now restored, once more give to the White House 
the long base from which the main structure rises with great 
architectural effect. 

The main floor is devoted to what may be termed the State 
Apartments, as opposed to the rooms given over to the family 
life of the President's household. The only family room on 
this floor is the Private Dining-room, and even to this the public 
has access on formal occasions. Every room on this floor has 
been completely remade and refurnished. 

In connection with the elevator it is interesting to note that 
a part of the oak wood work in the new elevator-car was made 
from roof trusses of the Old South Church in Boston, which, 
in its day, sheltered the Boston Tea Party. Mr. Norcross had 
the timbers in his yard since the time he replaced the old roof of 
the church with a new one. 




LADIES OF THE WHITE HOUSE 



i M w: i ii v Washington 

_' Mrs. .I"mn An wis 

.i Martha Jefferson Randolph 

l I >. P. M ID1SON 

."> \lli-. \mh;i h .1 ic h-"\ 

6 Louisa Cai hi bine Ad \ms 



18 Mits. Martin Van Hirkn 



: Angelina Van Bi -hen 
s Mits. I.ktitia Christian Tvi.kr 
ii Miis James K. Polk 
hi Mrs Robert Tyler 

11 Mrs. James Monroe 

12 Mrs. Franklin Pierce 




LADIES OF THE WHITE HOUSE 



14 Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant 

15 Mrs. Nellte Grant Sartoris 

16 Lucretia Randolph Garfield 

17 Lucy Webb Hayes 

18 Harriet Lane Johnston 

19 Mrs. Benjamin Harrison 



Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt 



20 Martha Johnson Patterson 

21 Mks. Millard Fillmore 

22 Mrs. Andrew Johnson 

23 Mrs. William McKinley 

24 Mrs. Abraham Lincoln 

25 Mrs. Grover Cleveland 



The; First, Second and Third White; Houses 59 

The main stairway to the second story is of Joliet stone, and 
consists of a broad flight from the main floor to the landing, 
where it divides into two flights- The railing is of forged iron 
and brass, with hand rail covered with velvet. A double gate 
of wrought iron, which rolls back into pockets in the walls, has 
been placed at the foot of the staircase. 



CHAPTER III 
White House Life of the Roosevelts 

THEODORE ROOSEVELT entered the White House for 
the first time as President of the United States, the 
twenty-sixth Chief Executive, on the fourteenth day of 
September, 1901, ten days after taking the oath, at Buffalo, fol- 
lowing the death of Mr. McKinley. 

The day after his entrance to the Executive Mansion, Mr. 
Roosevelt was joined by Mrs. Roosevelt, and later by all the 
six Roosevelt children — two daughters and four sons — namely, 
Alice, Ethel, Theodore, Jr., Kermit, Quentin and Archie. 

The new President's first official act in his new home in 
Washington was to issue a notice that no official entertainments 
would take place in the White House for nearly four months — 
not till New Year's Day, 1902, the intervening time to be 
regarded as a period of national mourning. Mr. Roosevelt 
also gave an order that not until one month had elapsed follow- 
ing the death of Mr. McKinley, would any official organiza- 
tions be received at the White House. The President also 
ordered that the flag of the mansion remain for a time at half 
mast, and that all heads of the Departments of the Government 
use mourning paper- 
Such were the sad conditions under which Theodore Roose- 
velt entered the White House to take up the difficult task of 
being the Chief Magistrate of the nation. 

(All information concerning the White House life of Presi- 
dent and Mrs. Roosevelt not related in this chapter, will be 
found in other chapters right through to the end of this work. 
Their children, the marriage of their daughter Alice, the story 



White; House Liee oe the Roosevelts 6r 

of their daughter Ethel, their horses and carriages, the Presi- 
dent's secretary, his recreations, the family church-going and 
their manner of spending Sunday, Mr. Roosevelt's way with 
his Cabinet, the huge mail and vast number of gifts that reach 
the President, the Secret Service — all these matters, and many 
Other incidents of White House life under President Roosevelt, 
will be found in the various chapters containing heads indica- 
tive of the branch of information desired.) 

Roosevelt's Informal Inauguration 

One of the best accounts of Mr. Roosevelt's informal inau- 
guration, that is, the taking of the oath in Buffalo, is found in 
Merwins' History of Our Own Times, thus : 

When President McKinley's condition became grave, on 
September 12, word was sent at once to Mr. Roosevelt. He 
was in the Adirondack woods when the news reached the 
Tahawus Club, and his exact whereabouts were not discovered 
until late in the afternoon of September 13. A little after one 
o'clock the next morning he left Tahawus and was driven over 
dark mountain roads thirty-five miles to North Creek, where a 
train was waiting. He reached Buffalo the afternoon of the 
same day, going straight to the Milburn house to pay homage 
to the dead President. He then went to the home of his 
friend, Ansley Wilcox. 

Present in Mr. Wilcox's library were all but two of Presi- 
dent McKinley's Cabinet and a few friends and newspaper men. 
The moment was one of profound emotion. Mr. Root, the 
Secretary of War, turned to Mr. Roosevelt and said brokenly : 
"I have been required on behalf of the Cabinet of the late 
President, at least in behalf of those who are present in Buf- 
falo — all except two — to request that, for reasons affecting the 
Administration and the Government, you take the constitu- 
tional office of President of the United States." 

It was with a noticeable effort that Mr. Roosevelt replied. 
"I shall take the oath at once," he said, "in response to your 
request ; and in this hour of deep and terrible national bereave- 



62 Inside History of the White House 

ment I wish to state that it shall be my aim to continue abso- 
lutely unbroken the policy of President McKinley for the peace 
and prosperity of our beloved country." 

Judge John R. Hazel, of the United States District Court, 
then administered the Presidential oath of office. 

Roosevelt as a Man and a Public Official 

At the time he took the oath of office as President of the 

United States, Mr. Roosevelt was described as five feet nine 

yj inches tall, and weighing 200 pounds. He was stockily built, 

was stout and had a thick neck. He has blue-gray eyes, brown 

hair and mustache. 

Mr. Roosevelt at the time he entered the White House was 
the youngest President in the country's history, his age being 
then only forty-three. In Merwin's history above mentioned, 
we find that he was born in New York City, on October 27, 
1858, being descended from seven generations of prominent 
citizens. As a lad his health was poor, but while going 
through his course at Harvard, he entered into athletics and 
developed a rugged physique- His fondness for athletic sports, 
marked at this time, continued in after life, and seldom did 
many months pass that he did not find the opportunity to spend 
at least a week or two in the open. After leaving Harvard he 
traveled for a time, studied law for a few months, and then 
plunged into municipal politics. For several years he was 
active as an assemblyman in New York City, and in 1886 he 
ran for Mayor and was defeated. President Harrison started 
Mr. Roosevelt on his national career by appointing him Civil 
Service Commissioner, an office which he retained under Presi- 
dent Cleveland's second administration until he resigned it to 
become President of the New York Police Commission. His 
efforts to reform the Police Department of the metropolis were 
vigorous and in small degree effective at the time. As assist- 
ant Secretary of the Navy in the first McKinley administra- 
tion, Mr. Roosevelt helped to prepare for the conflict with 
vSpain. 



Whits House Life of the Roosfvflts 63 

Upon declaration of War, Mr. Roosevelt resigned his posi- 
tion in the Navy Department and at once gathered several hun- 
dred of the finest riders and most daring fighters in the coun- 
try, forming them into a regiment which became famous as 
the "Rough Riders." After seeing active service on the battle- 
fields of Cuba at Santiago, Mr. Roosevelt returned to the 
United States — to become Governor of the State of New York. 
After his term as Governor he was nominated for Vice-Presi- 
dent of the United States, on the Republican ticket with Mr. 
McKinley, and was elected. All the world knows now, how 
the bullet fired from the pistol of the McKinley's assassin made 
vacant the office of President, and how Mr. Roosevelt forth- 
with, after having served only a few months as Vice-President, 
became the Chief Executive- 
One anecdote of Mr. Roosevelt's earlier life tells how eager J 
he was even then to "reform the whole world." President 
Benjamin Harrison appointed him Civil Service Commissioner, 
as already stated. Every few days Mr. Roosevelt would visit 
Mr. Harrison and ask for his O. K. to various measures 
devised for reforming the Civil Service. At last Mr. Harrison 
said to him : 

"Roosevelt, Rome was not built in a day, nor is it possible 
to reform the whole world in the space of twenty-four hours. 
Attempt only one thing at a time and carry it out in an orderly, 
temperate fashion." 

Years passed and Benjamin Harrison, as ex-President of 
the United States, was called upon to address a missionary 
meeting at Carnegie Hall, in New York City. Mr. Roosevelt, 
then Governor of the Empire State, was present at the meeting. 
Mr. Harrison, at the conclusion of his speech, presented Mr. 
Roosevelt and in the course of his introduction said : 

"I first became acquainted with Governor Roosevelt as a J 
young man who was eager to reform the whole world between 
sunrise and sunset." 

But it was just by such eagerness and readiness to reform 
and improve and build up and make better, and the ability to 



64 Inside History of the White House 

carry out his schemes, that enabled Mr. Roosevelt to take the 
helm with a firm hand when he was called to take the Cap- 
taincy of the great Ship of State. 

The Stupendous Labors of a President 

President Roosevelt himself describes the enormous amount 
of work that devolves upon a President from the very moment 
he enters upon his duties at the White House. In an introduc- 
tion of one edition of his literary works, Mr. Roosevelt says : 

"In the whole world there is probably no other ruler, cer- 
tainly no other ruler under free institutions, whose power com- 
pares with that of a President of this country. An immense 
addition to his burdens is caused by well-meaning but thought- 
less people who ask him to do what he cannot possibly do. For 
the first few weeks after he is inaugurated, a President receives 
an average of fifteen hundred letters a day. His mail is so 
enormous that often he cannot read one letter in a hundred, and 
rarely can he read one letter in twenty. Even his Secretary' 
can read only a small fraction of the mail. 

"When I came into office I was swamped with demands for 
positions and for pensions, notes of warning and advice, and 
request for charity, not to speak of letters from cranks, which 
are always numerous in my mail. Requests for pecuniary aid 
received in a single fortnight would, if complied with, have 
eaten up considerably more than my four years' salary. The 
labor of the office as immense, the ceaseless worry and harass- 
ing anxiety are beyond description. 

"One rather sad feature of the life of a President is the 
difficulty of making friends, because almost inevitably after a 
while the friend thinks there is some office he would like, 
applies for it, and when the President is obliged to refuse, feels 
that he has been injured" 

President Roosevelt's Day's Work at the "White House 

President Roosevelt, we are told in an article -in Frank 
Leslie's Weekly, "does as much work as two Presidents might 



White; House Life of thf Roosfvflts 65 

be expected to do." Not only does he keep every Cabinet 
Officer busy bringing in reports about this and about that, but 
he reaches out in the various Departments of Government and 
takes a hand in more matters which interest him than Presi- 
dents are wont to do. More than this, he takes upon himself 
the personal care of outside matters to a great extent, such, for 
instance, as straightening out the tangle of the Panama Canal, 
settling a coal strike, inspecting submarine boats and men-of- 
war, inquiring into conditions at Ellis Island and other immi- 
gration stations, bringing about peace between Russia and 
Japan, and many other affairs "not down on the programme for 
a President." 

Mr. Roosevelt does, indeed, utilize every fragment of time 
for some good and useful purpose. On more than one occa- 
sion he has received the Washington correspondents and talked 
to them while the barber shaved him, at the White House, inci- 
dents of the kind taking their place in the current annals of the 
Presidential Mansion as "Barber Chair Interviews." 

In describing a day's work of the President, a New York 
World correspondent tells us that : 

"On a certain Wednesday in the spring of 1908, President 
Roosevelt discussed the Wall Street panic with his Cabinet, 
held conferences with Secretaries Root and Cortelyou, heard the 
interview to the correspondents while being shaved. He 
received a delegation of clergymen who regard the decrease of 
Protestant churches in New York as a 'serious menace to 
American citizenship', and promised to do everything in his 
power to bring about a revival of religious interest here. On 
Wednesday also news came to him of the winning of his fight 
for the Japanese schoolboys through the action of the San Fran- 
cisco Board of Education, together with a vote of the Harvard 
overseers sustaining his position on football. Religion, finance, 
intercollegiate sports, world politics — the White House interest 
in a day surveys mankind from Colon to Cathay." 

James Creelman, the correspondent of Pearson's Maga- 
zine, once had a long talk with the President at the White 



66 Inside History of the White House 

House, and upon the subject of the hard work performed by 
Mr. Roosevelt the correspondent wrote that the President 
walked over to a cartoon drawing- sent to him by a Western 
artist. It represented an old, gray-haired, shaggy farmer 
reading a book by lamplight, his feet, in homespun stockings, 
resting on a chair — an idyl of the hard-working, earnest pioneer 
farm country. The President looked at the picture lovingly. 

"That's the old boy I'm working for in the White House," 
he said, drawing a deep breath and throwing back his soldier 
head. "I'm working for him all the time. The future of this 
nation rests upon him. He will never ask to have the laws set 
aside. He will never use dynamite as an argument. He's the 
true American." 

John Morley, one of the President's distinguished visitors 
from England, lived two days in the White House, after which 
he wrote this of Mr. Roosevelt : 

"I have seen two tremendous works of nature in America. 
One is Niagara Falls and the other is the President of the 
United States." 

Mr. Roosevelt's Work-Room 

With the restoration of the White House in 1902, by 
McKim, Mead and White, the problem of providing Executive 
Offices for the President outside of the main building, was 
solved by utilizing a space to the west of the mansion upon 
which a low addition was made to the main building and called 
the Temporary Executive Offices. These offices in this west 
wing are now the President's work-rooms. 

In making their report to the President, the architects gave 
the following facts about the Temporary Executive Offices : 

Obviously the first was to find some place other than 
the White House for the Executive Offices. Every suggestion 
for the location of a permanent office building was open to some 
objection that seemed insuperable. No location outside the 
White House grounds could be decided upon and secured in the 
short time available. To construct within those grounds a 




Copyright by Underwood & Underwood 



THE ROOSEVELT FAMILY 



White; House Liee oe the Roosevelts 69 

building sufficiently large and imposing to stand as permanent 
offices would be to detract from the White House itself so ser- 
iously as to be absolutely out of the question. The one possible 
solution, therefore, was to occupy the only available space with 
a temporary building, which should be comfortable within and 
inconspicuous in appearance, leaving Congress at its leisure to 
take up seriously the question of a permanent, adequate and 
thoroughly dignified office for the Chief Executive. 

The report then goes on to say that: "The problem of the 
location of a permanent building for the offices of the Presi- 
dent involves many considerations as to the amount of accom- 
modation needed and the scope and variety of the functions to 
be carried on in such a building. Provision for temporary 
quarters for the Executive Offices is comparatively a simple 
matter. A building of brick, one-story high, and containing 
from 50 to 75 per cent, more room than the offices now occupy, 
can be constructed in the grounds of the White House, oppo- 
site the entrance to the Navy Department. The building would 
take the place now occupied by a brick wall which screens a 
number of hot-houses and forcing beds for plants, functions 
which may well be provided for elsewhere, in connection with 
the propagating gardens." 

The temporary office building to-day includes : A Cabinet 
room ; President's office and retiring room ; offices for two sec- 
retaries ; a telegraph and a telephone room ; a large room for 
stenographers ; a room for the press ; a main hall to be fitted for 
a reception-room, and file rooms and closets in the basement. 

Congress stipulated that the walls should be sufficient to 
carry a second story, and increased the appropriation by 
$10,000 for this purpose. Accordingly the walls were strength- 
ened to meet this requirement. 

Thus Temporary Executive Offices were constructed and 
thus they stand to-day as the busy work-shops of the busiest 
ruler on earth. 

The secretarial and clerical force in these work-rooms con- 
sist of the Secretary to the President, Mr. William Loeb, Jr. ; 



jo Inside History oe the White House 

two Assistant Secretaries, Mr. Maurice C. Latta, and Mr. 
Rudolph Forster ; two executive clerks, Colonel Crook and Mr. 
Young ; eight stenographers, six telegraphers, nine messengers, 
one chief doorkeeper and nine assistant doorkeepers. 

The Roosevelt Method of "Work 

A most interesting phase of the President's method of labor 
is set forth by William Bayard Hale, in the New York Times, 
his article being condensed in current Literature, beginning 
with a description of the Presidential workshop as follows : 

"The inner room, thirty feet square, is almost destitute of 
ornament. It contains a fireplace, a big desk, a few books, an 
art nouveau lamp, a few vases of flowers, a tiny clock on the 
mantel, and on the walls a rather poor oil portrait of Lincoln, 
a photograph of a big bear, and a framed autograph copy of the 
late Senator Ingall's well-known sonnet on 'Opportunity.' 
There is a globe in one corner, and the divan, chairs and desk 
are mahogany. The trim of the room is ivory white, the cur- 
tains are olive, the walls are covered with olive burlap, and the 
windows overlook the White House grounds toward the south, 
including the tennis court, and in the distance the Potomac, the 
Washington Monument and the Virginia Hills. This is the 
President's office. So severe is the room that very few busi- 
ness men indeed have not its superior in decoration, if not in 
simple comfort. 

"The President's patience and orderliness — especially the 
President's orderliness, is one of his most marked characteris- 
tics. His mind is orderly, and its contents are thoroughly 
arranged. He goes through every day on a time-table which an 
engineer could not follow more carefully. He does not look 
n] at the clock, but seems to have a sub-conscious sense of the 
passing of time, and he works off a crowd with the precision 
and regularity of a machine, and without the loss of a second 
or the waste of a single motion. Yet there is no appearance 
of haste, and his interviews do not seem to carry away a feel- 
ing of having been rushed. His powers of concentration and of 



White House Liee oe the Rooseveets 71 

the immediate transference of his whole attention from one sub- 
ject to another are also very impressive. 

"The President ends each day apparently as fresh as he 
began it. Yet in spite of his tirelessness, he is not a heavy 
eater. The pleasures of the table appeal to him not at all, and 
he is notably abstemious in food." 

Declining a Third Term 

From the very day on which Mr. Roosevelt was elected to 
serve what was called a second term at the White House, he 
announced most emphatically that he would, under no condi- 
tions, become a candidate for a third term. This announce- 
ment he reiterated again and again, in language as follows : 

"I am deeply sensible of the honor done me by the American 
people in thus expressing their confidence in what I have done, 
and have tried to do. I appreciate to the full the solemn 
responsibility this confidence imposes upon me, and I shall do 
all that in my power lies not to forfeit it. On the fourth of 
March next I shall have served three-and-a-half years, and 
these, three-and-a-half years constitute my first term. The 
wise custom which limits the President to two terms regards 
the substance and not the form, and under no circumstances 
will I be a candidate for or accept another nomination." 

It has been reported that one reason for Mr. Roosevelt's 
adhering thus firmly to his negative decision, was the fear 
frequently expressed by Mrs. Roosevelt that her husband's 
life was in danger because of threats of assassination. It was ^ 
said that out of respect to these feelings of his wife, Mr. 
Roosevelt made his attitude in the matter of a third term all 
the more emphatic. 

Writing to his friend, William Sewall, a Maine woods 
guide, Mr. Roosevelt tells of his enjoyment in performing the 
work he was called upon to do in the White House. In the 
course of that letter, written after the nomination of William 
Howard Taft, the President wrote : 

"I hope Mrs- Roosevelt will be better now that the strain v 



-]2 Inside History of the White House 

of the Presidential nomination is off. As for me, I thoroughly 
enjoy the job and never felt more vigorous as far as the work 
of the office is concerned. But it's some different from the 
work in the back-woods and plains that you and I have done 
together in the past. 

"I said I wouldn't accept another term and I believe the 
people think my word is good. I should be mighty sorry to 
have them think anything else. I believe in being a strong 
President and making the most of the office and using it with- 
out regard to the little, feeble, snarling men who yell about 
executive usurpation. 

''I also believe it is not a good thing for any man to hold it 
too long. My ambition is, no matter in however humble a man- 
ner, and no matter how far off, to travel in the footsteps of 
Washington and Lincoln." 

Mrs. Roosevelt at the White House 

The present Mrs. Roosevelt was Edith Kermit Carew, and 
J is the President's second wife. She was a friend of Mr. 
Roosevelt's first wife, who was Miss Alice Lee, of Boston, and 
who died in 1884, leaving an infant daughter. That daughter 
is now Mrs. Nicholas Longworth, who attracted the attention 
of the entire world upon her marriage, as Miss Alice Roose- 
velt, to a member of Congress from Ohio. 

Mrs. Roosevelt loves flowers and surrounds herself and her 
friends with them at all times. She takes a personal interest 
in the White House conservatories, though the green-houses 
are not now connected with the White House as in the days of 
former "First Ladies." To various charitable institutions, to 
debutantes, to church fairs and the like, Mrs. Roosevelt is 
almost invariably the first to send flowers. She sees to it that 
on all State occasions, and especially at State dinners, the 
rooms and corridors are filled with flowers and palms — though 
it should be explained that most of the White House plants 
come now, not from the conservatories, but rather from what 
is called the Propagating Gardens. 



White; House Liee oe the Roosevelts j$ 

Mrs. Roosevelt never has permitted her servants at the 
White House to wear livery aside from the coach and foot / 
man. Ordinary evening dress is all that the waiters are called 
upon to don for evening receptions and dinners. At receptions 
held in the afternoon the servants wear Tuxedo coats. On all 
formal occasions the waiters wear white gloves. Most of the 
male "help" in the White House, is colored, this applying to 
the present steward, the waiters and other servants in charge 
of keeping clean the rooms and corridors. White serving 
maids, however, are preferred by Mrs. Roosevelt. She 
employs an English Governess. 

Mrs. Roosevelt as "First Lady" 

From several different articles which appeared in The 
Christian Herald, among them the writings of Mrs. Abby G. 
Baker, of Washington, we glean the following interesting facts 
relating to the coming of Mrs. Roosevelt to the White House, 
and to her charm as "First Lady" : 

"Clad in deep mourning, Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt entered 
the Executive Mansion, September 26, under sadder circum- 
stances than have ever marked the installation of a Lady of the 
White House — although no one forgets how profoundly sor- \J 
rowful were the times which called for Mrs. Lincoln's suc- 
cessor, nor of how the people grieved when Garfield died. With 
public buildings everywhere swathed in black, flags all over 
the Union flying at half-mast, a whole nation bowed in woe, 
herself as its representative wearing garments of grief, our 
"First Lady" needed some marks of cheer to greet her entrance 
into her new home ; and one is glad to know that these were not 
lacking. Her husband met her at the door and led her to the 
dining-room, where a cozy luncheon was ready. With her 
came two of the children, Ethel and Kermit, and her house- 
keeper and her maid from Oyster Bay; so there was much to 
make her at home in her new abode. 

"The household has always been a very happy one. At 
Oyster Bay and in the Governor's Mansion at Albany, Mrs. vy 



n/ 



74 Inside History of the White House 

Roosevelt sought to preserve the simplicity and privacy of the 
typical, democratic American home. Father and mother were 
comrades for their children ; the little folks were jolly as jolly 
could be, guests were welcomed with hearty hospitality. Ap- 
pointments of the house were daintiness and comfort combined. 

"At Oyster Bay, Mrs. Roosevelt was fond of going about 
in a walking skirt, and playing with her children. She is 
brown-eyed, brown-haired and rosy. It is a cause of con- 
gratulation to all Americans that the beautiful home-life of the 
McKinleys will be followed by that of another pair of wedded 
lovers, whose devotion to each other has made marriage the 
blessed relation it should ever be. Mr. and Mrs. Roosevelt are 
the youngest couple who ever entered the White House; and 
with their troop of happy children they will doubtless make a 
merry place of the historic dwelling. 

"A number of changes are under way in the mansion. The 
big, canopied bedsteads have been relegated to the attic, and 
pretty white bedsteads have been placed in the rooms on the 
south side of the building, which will be occupied by the Roose- 
velt children. Much furniture from the house at Oyster Bay 
has been brought to the White House. Mrs. Roosevelt will 
look personally after the ways of her household, and giving 
much time to the education of her children. Her first instruc- 
tions to Secretary Cortelyou were for announcement to be made 
to ladies in official and social circles that, out of respect to the 
memory of the late President, no calls formal or informal 
would be expected until after October 15." 

"Mrs. Roosevelt," a later article said, "fills her position with 
gracious hospitality that is felt and appreciated throughout the 
country. It is she who sets the social activities in motion when, 
soon after Congress convenes in December, she begins receiv- 
ing calls. Everybody who is in the official circle leaves cards 
at the White House, and many who are not in it, for both the 
President and Mrs. Roosevelt have scores of friends among 
'the cave-dwellers', as the permanent residents of the town are 
called. The "First Lady's" duties are not light, nor are those 



Whits House Life; of the; Roose;ve;l,ts 75 

of any of the women who come under the broad term 'official'. 
Their mornings are filled with subscription musicales, recitals, 
board and committee meetings of every kind, to say nothing of 
home duties. There are luncheons and teas, and never-ending 
calls. Then the nights are taken up with dinner parties and 
other forms of entertainment." 

Mrs, Roosevelt as White House Hostess 

Mrs. Roosevelt has been, from the first, an indefatigable 
hostess. All entertainments called for by official etiquette, all 
social observances demanded of her in her capacity as the 
President's wife, she has performed to the letter and with 
"good measure." Even before the social season begins she has 
been in the habit of holding afternoon receptions for the mem- 
bers of the Diplomatic Corps and for the ladies of the Embas- 
sies and Legations. Sometimes, at these afternoon receptions, 
Mrs. Roosevelt has entertained representatives, both men and 
women, of no less than thirty to forty different nations. Mrs. 
Roosevelt's musicales, a conspicuous feature of her entertain- 
ing arrangements at the White House, are described in the 
chapter on "Entertaining," under "Music at the White House." 

From press reports we learn that Mrs. Roosevelt "has in- 
troduced many pretty customs relative to the women of the 
Cabinet, one of the most sentimental being the presentation 
to each one of a beautiful bunch of flowers just before each 
reception, to be carried during the receiving hours. Hand- 
shaking is thus obviated to a great extent, and the flowers are 
always selected to correspond with each woman's gown." Mrs. 
Roosevelt meets the wives of the Cabinet officials in the Green 
Parlor at the White House every Tuesday morning at eleven 
o'clock, and for an hour there is a general exchange of views 
upon social obligations. 

Mrs. Roosevelt as "Wife and Mother 

The present "First Lady" has never neglected her purely 
domestic duties, despite the heavy drain on her time in an 



j6 Inside History of the White House 

official way. She is, it is written by Margaret B. Downing, 
"an exquisite needlewoman. All the baby clothes of her five 
children were fashioned by her own skilful fingers, and she 
still loves to make dainty little waists and lingerie for Miss 
Ethel. Her daughter has been taught to sew and embroider 
and to knot and crochet, and, like her mother, she is nearly 
always busy with some little fancy articles, when she sits with 
her parents in the evenings, and when she visits her friends for 
the day." 

Concerning the favorite hobby of the present mistress of 
the Presidential Mansion, we learn that she is fond of collect- 
ing old china, of which she has a fine assortment. In the East 
Corridor of the ground floor of the mansion is what is prob- 
ably the most historic collection of porcelain and china in this 
country. It comprises some of the table ware which was owned 
by all of the Presidents from Washington to Roosevelt. The 
collection was made under Mrs. Roosevelt's supervision by Mrs. 
Abby G. Baker, and was one of the most notable things which 
has been accomplished by any mistress of the mansion. 

Facts relating to the children of the Roosevelt family are 
given in the chapter on "Child Life," "Daughters," "Brides," 
and "Romance of Alice Roosevelt." 




THE WHITE HOUSE, BEFORE THE RECENT ALTERATIONS 




THE WHITE HOUSE, AS IT WAS IN 1800 



CHAPTER IV 
Inaugurations — Washington to Buchanan 

THE ceremony of inauguration of a President of the 
United States begins at the White House, while the vital 
feature, the oath, has usually been a part of the imposing 
scene at the Capitol. Nearly every incoming President has 
first driven to the White House, there to be formally received 
by the outgoing President, after which ceremony the two 
Presidents have, as a rule, driven together to the Capitol. 

According to the custom long prevailing, on "leaving the 
White House for the Capitol, the outgoing and incoming Presi- 
dents are escorted by the military, the regulars predominating, 
and on coming from the Capitol, not only by the military, but 
the thousands of men who comprise the societies and political 
clubs, thereby emphasizing that all recognize him as President as 
well as commander-in-chief of the armed force of the Republic, 
and this procession is reviewed by the newly installed executive." 

In this chapter and the one following will be found brief 
reference to the inauguration and welcome to the White House 
of each new President, beginning with John Adams, the first 
President to live in the President's House, as it was then called, 
in Washington. George Washington's inauguration took 
place in New York, and therefore an account of his first day as 
President of the United States does not properly belong in this 
history. 

John Adams First to Live in the White House 

President John Adams took possession of the White House 
late in 1800, and on New Year's Day, 1801, held his first public 



80 Inside History of the White House 

reception, this being what may properly be called the first formal 
opening of the President's House to the public. Previous to 
that November day when he first entered the White House, 
however, President John Adams arrived" in Washington and 
lived first at the Union Tavern in Georgetown, and later at 
Tunnicliffs Hotel in Washington. This was in the summer 
of 1800. His first formal appearance in Washington was on 
June 3, when he entered the city and was met by a large body 
of citizens on horseback, and was escorted thus to the tavern 
mentioned. These comprise the principal facts relating to the 
entrance of John Adams to the White House. 

Jefferson First to be Inaugurated in Washington 

"Mr. Jefferson had sent to Virginia for a carriage and four 
horses, but the condition of the roads was such that they had 
not arrived, and he seems to have made the best of an awkward 
situation by going alone on horseback, and thereby setting an- 
example of what is still known as 'J e ff ers °rri a n simplicity' ". 

Such is the popular story in relation to Jefferson's move- 
ments on the day of inauguration- By many historians this 
story is said not to be strictly in accordance with the facts, 
though exactly what the facts were seem to be hazy, and any 
attempt to discover whether Mr. Jefferson really did ride alone 
to the Capitol only leads to confusion. It is related that John 
Davis, the English schoolmaster who first told the unfounded 
tale of Jefferson's riding alone to the Capitol to be inaugurated 
as President, and hitching his horse to the palisades, wrote of 
Washington in 1802, what may well be believed : "There were 
no objects to catch the eye but a forlorn pilgrim forcing his way 
through the grass that overruns the streets, or a cow ruminat- 
ing on a bank." He says the village was surrounded by "end- 
less and almost impenetrable woods." 

One account of Mr. Jefferson's inauguration is found in the 
National Intelligencer for March 6, 1801, in which these facts 
are stated : 

"At an early hour on Wednesday the City of Washington 



Inaugurations — Washington to Buchanan 8i 

presented a spectacle of uncommon animation, occasioned by 
the addition to its usual population of a large body of citizens 
from adjacent districts. 

"At twelve o'clock Thomas Jefferson, attended by a num- 
ber of his fellow-citizens, among whom were many members of 
Congress, repaired to the Capitol. His dress was, as usual, 
that of a plain citizen, without any distinctive badge of office. 

"He entered the Capitol under a discharge of artillery. On 
his entry into the Senate Chamber, there were assembled the 
Senate and the Members of the House of Representatives. The 
members rose and Mr. Burr left the Chair of the Senate, which 
Mr. Jefferson took. 

"After a few minutes of silence, Mr. Jefferson rose and 
delivered his address before the largest concourse of citizens 
ever assembled here. After seating himself for a short period, 
he again rose and approached the clerk's table, where the oath 
of office was administered by the Chief Justice ; after which he 
returned to his lodgings, accompanied by the Vice-President, 
Chief- Justice and heads of Departments, where he was waited 
upon by a number of distinguished citizens. 

"As soon as he withdrew, a discharge of artillery was made. 
The remainder of the day was devoted to festivity, and at 
night there was a pretty general illumination." 

Madison and Monroe Welcomed in "Washington 

Mr. Willetts must refer to President Madison's first inaugu- 
ration here as Mrs. Madison could by no possibility have 
"begun" her brilliant career at Mr. Monroe's reception. I 
judge it is the Madison first inauguration as he also describes 
the gown worn by Mrs. Madison the same as given by Single- 
ton in her story of the White House on page 56, vol. 1. He is 
inaccurate, however, in speaking of this reception at the White 
House ; it was given at Mr. Madison's Washington residence. 

President Monroe's welcome to the White House was 
equally notable in a social way, "the President being the life of 
the party." 



82 Inside History of the White House 

John Quincy Adams Takes His Father's Place 
John Quincy Adams, eldest son of John Adams, came to 
the White House to continue his remarkably systematic mode of 
life and to leave the mansion finally with great reluctance, all 
according to this entry in his diary : 

"My rising hour has ranged from four to quarter past seven, 
the average being about half-past five, and the changes regu- 
lated by the time of my retirement to bed, which has varied from 
half-past ten to one A.M., which happened only once — the day 
of the last drawing-room. My usual time of retirement is half- 
past eleven ; giving six hours to the bed. On rising, I light my 
lamp by the remnant of fire in the bed-chamber, dress and 
repair to my cabinet, where I make my fire, and sit down to 
writing till between nine and ten. After breakfast I read the 
morning National Intelligencer and Journal, and from eleven 
A.M. to four P.M. receive visitors, transact business with the 
heads of Departments, and send messages to one or both Houses 
of Congress. My riding on horseback has been interrupted 
almost the whole month by the weather and the snow and ice. 
From four, I walk an hour and a quarter, till half-past five ; dine 
and pass one or two hours in the bed-chamber or nursery ; then 
write again in my cabinet till the time for repose. This routine 
has now become so habitual to me that it forms part of the com- 
fort of my existence, and I look forward with great solicitude 
to the time when it must be totally changed. I never go abroad, 
unless to visit a sick friend. But a large dinner-party once a 
week, a drawing-room once a fortnight, and the daily visitors, 
eight or ten, sometimes twelve or fifteen, keep me in con- 
sant intercourse with the world, and furnish constant employ- 
ment, the oppressiveness of which is much relieved by its 
variety. This is a happy condition of life, which within five 
weeks or more must close." 

Andrew Jackson Moves In 

It is recorded of the rough and ready Andrew Jackson that, 
before his nomination for the Presidency, and while having in 



Inaugurations — Washington to Buchanan 83 

mind the culture of the Presidents who had up to that time occu- 
pied the White House, made this impulsive remark : 

"Do you people suppose I'm such a fool as to think myself fit 
to be President of the United States ? No, sir ! I know what 
I'm fit for. I can lead a body of men in a rough way. But I'm 
not the man for President." 

Yet so popular was "Old Hickory," the newly elected Presi- 
dent that, men "came on horseback for hundreds of miles, 
horsemen galloped up and down Pennsylvania Avenue with 
hickory bark bridles, hickory stirrups, and carrying hickory 
clubs; women wore necklaces of hickory nuts and carried 
hickory brooms." As Jackson's carriage passed, men yelled 
"Go it Andy, we put you there!" and similar greetings, and 
cheered for "Old Hickory." Jackson seemed pleased, and 
smiled and bowed to right and left. 

Jackson was known as the "People's President," and the 
day of his inauguration was known as "People's Day." At the 
reception at the White House the crowd was dense, and so 
greatly were the guests in one another's way that "they broke 
much of the crockery in the house. Fully twenty thousand 
persons assembled in and around the White House. One of 
the best newspaper accounts of this welcome of President Jack- 
son to his official home, says : 

"The rush of people to this place (Washington) is unpre- 
cedented. Where the multitude slumbered last night is incon- 
ceivable, unless it were on their mother earth, curtained by the 
unbroken sky. The morning was ushered in by a salute of 
thirteen guns. At eleven, the breathing mass were around the 
Capitol, dense and wide. At about twelve, a rending shout 
announced the presence of the General. He appeared in the 
eastern portico, which, from its elevation, rendered the cere- 
mony extremely conspicuous and imposing. Order being 
reclaimed, the oath was administered, when another shout went 
up from the multitude. After a dignified bow, the President 
commenced his address. His manner was simple and emphatic. 
His voice was distinct and audible at a considerable distance. 



84 Inside History of the White House 

The address being finished, another acclamation rent the air. 
There was now a general rush among the foremost to reach the 
President's hand. But his excellency withdrawing into the 
Capitol with his suite, the crowd was soon seen moving down 
the avenue towards the President's house. Here followed a 
scene of the most nondescript character. High and low, old 
and young, black and white, poured in one solid column into this 
spacious mansion. Here was the corpulent epicure grunting 
and sweating for breath — the dandy wishing he had no toes — 
the miser hunting for his pocketbook — the courtier looking for 
his watch — and the office-seeker." 

Van Buren and the Two Harrisons 

Martin Van Buren, of New York, the eighth President, was 
received in Washington with honors no less great than those 
which were heaped upon his predecessor, Mr. Andrew Jackson. 
Yet the crowd at the White House numbered fewer persons 
and was orderly. 

A more spectacular scene occurred, however, when Mr. 
Van Buren's successor, William Henry Harrison, came to the 
White House in 1841. Mr. Harrison had been elected over 
Van Buren after a stirring campaign in which he owed much of 
his success to having been lauded as the hero of Tippecanoe, 
where he had defeated the Indians in a severe battle. "Presi- 
dent Harrison, on the day of his welcome to the White House, 
rode in the midst of a hollow square of his friends, mounted on 
a white horse, and followed by a motley procession, in which 
men wearing coon-skin caps and hauling wagons on which 
were displayed log cabins." 

Forty-eight years later, the grandson of William Henry 
Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, entered the doors of the White 
House to perform the duties of Chief Executive with ability as 
great as those displayed by his grandfather during the latter's 
short period in office. 

One interesting incident of President Benjamin Harrison's 
incumbency occurred at the time he was notified of his nomina- 



Inaugurations — Washington to Buchanan 85 

tion to serve a second term as President. The Committee called 
upon the President at the White House, and the scene, as 
described in the press of the day, was one of gayety, if not 
hilarity : 

"On this occasion the crowd was democratic- Mrs. Harri- 
son's illness prevented her attendance, but everybody else was 
•there. Baby McKee, wearing a white flannel suit with blue 
stockings, with his German nurse, stood within reaching dis- 
tance of the file of Cabinet officers. The steward was near by, 
members of both houses of Congress were scattered just outside 
the horseshoe formed by the notification committee, and several 
hundred invited guests crowded about. 

"When the speeches were ended, things went wild — for the 
White House. The President shook hands with all, while 
Elliott F. Shepard gave three cheers, standing with both feet 
on one of the elegant chairs. Members of the Cabinet then 
took turns passing lemonade and salad in the State Dining- 
room, while Senators, Supreme Court Judges, and pretty 
young ladies kept up a. cross-fire of jokes and good-natured 
repartee. 

"President Harrison was as easy-going as anyone. He 
danced Baby McKee in the air, and came out into the corridor, 
and personally invited some of the loiterers to come in and 
have some luncheon. It was a general jollification. 

"Afterward the inevitable man with a camera came along. 
No one interfered, and he planted his apparatus just in front of 
the mansion and insisted on photographing everybody. In the 
general joy that filled the Presidential mansion, no objection 
was made, and the entire party lined up on the porch and had 
their pictures taken." 

From Tyler to Pierce 

The inaugurations of Presidents Tyler and Fillmore were 
very sorrowful events, of course, owing to the death of Presi- 
dents Harrison and Taylor, by which the two Vice-Presidents 
became, each in turn, suddenly the official head of the nation. 



86 Inside History of the White House 

President Polk's inauguration and the reception following 
passed off without the occurrence of anything extraordinary. 

President Taylor was not at all fond of pomp or show or of 
the lighter features of social life, yet he was obliged to attend 
the Inaugural Ball held in his honor, a picturesque account of 
which in the press, reads : 

"Night is come and 'the moon looks with a watery eye upon 
the world'. There is a small staircase, like a hencoop on an 
angle of sixty degrees, into which loads of living beauty are 
tumbled with great want of ceremony. There is no regular 
place, shelves, partitions, or tickets, for overcoats or dresses. 
You crowd on, descend a staircase of some twenty steps into a 
saloon which has been built of wood for the occasion — spacious 
and elegant, but somewhat too crowded by the great mass rush- 
ing through it. The walls are ornamented with various designs, 
draped with flags, etc., and large chandeliers suspended from 
the canvas ceiling, keep up perpetual showers of falling tallow 
as the candles grow awkwardly wicked. 

"General Taylor entered about eleven, and was received 
with considerable enthusiasm, though not as much as I had 
expected. He marched through the centre the whole length 
of the saloon, bowing on each side. He was leaning on the 
arm of Mayor Seaton and Speaker Winthrop. He afterward 
went round the outside of the saloon, shaking hands with the 
ladies." 

Buchanan Wears His Lancaster Suit 

When James Buchanan was called to the Presidency, he was 
living at Wheatlands, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. With 
him, when he arrived at the White House, was his nephew, Col- 
onel Lane, who also acted as his private secretary; and Miss 
Harriet Lane, his beautiful niece, who was destined to make a 
great name for herself as mistress of the White House. 

After the ceremonies at the Capitol, on the day of Mr. 
Buchanan's inauguration, the outgoing Chief Executive, Mr. 
Pierce, accompanied President Buchanan back to the White 
House, where they bade each other farewell. Then, all during 



Inaugurations — Washington to Buchanan 89 

the remainder of the day, a great concourse of people gathered 
at the White House, where the Mayor of Washington delivered 
an address of welcome, to which the President replied in 
hearty vein. 

At the Inaugural Ball held in the evening of this great day 
in his life, President Buchanan patriotically wore the suit made 
by a tailor of his home town, a suit that has become famous 
through frequent mention in history as the "Lancaster Suit" 
The President's clothes are described in a newspaper of 
Buchanan's time, thus : 

"When Mr. Buchanan delivers his address, he will be 
dressed in a coat made by Mr. Metzger, of Lancaster, lined with 
black satin, the stitching of which is somehow to represent the 
thirty-one States, with the 'Keystone' in the centre." 



CHAPTER V 
Inaugurations — Lincoln to Roosevelt 

AT THE time of his first election to the Presidency, Abra- 
ham Lincoln told a friend that one night he looked into 
the mirror and saw a "ghostly face." He said that he 
told his wife of the incident, and that she regarded it as an 
omen of evil, but that it was "Abraham's duty to go to Wash- 
ington, whether for better or for worse." 

"My wife was worried about it," said Lincoln. "She 
thought it was a 'sign' that I was to be elected to a second term 
of office, and that the paleness of one of the faces was an omen 
that I should not live through a second term." 

The day of his first inauguration came and Lincoln was 
welcomed to the White House as no President was ever wel- 
comed before, thousands joining in the festivities. 

Four years later came his second inauguration, at which he 
spoke the now famous lines : 

"With malice toward none ; with charity for all ; with firm- 
ness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive 
on to finish the work we are in ; to bind up the nation's wounds ; 
to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his 
widow and his orphans — to do all which may achieve and 
cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all 
nations." 

This second inauguration is best described by Mrs. Shelby 
M. Cullom, wife of Senator Cullom, as given in an interview 
with Margaret B. Downing. In this interview Mrs. Cullom 
gives a number of most interesting facts, as follows i 

"I came to Washington in time to witness the second inau- 



Inaugurations — Lincoln to Roosevext 91 

guration of Lincoln. Mr. Cullom and I were neighbors of the 
Lincolns in Springfield, and I knew both very well. I am often 
surprised to remember that we Springfielders were proud of 
the reputation which Lincoln had as a lawyer and public 
speaker, but we had no conception of his grand attributes, and 
we fully demonstrated the old saying about the prophet being 
great everywhere save at home. But local pride urged us to 
see every feature of that inaugural parade, and to attend the 
ceremonies at the Capital. It was something to represent the 
President's home town in Congress, though I must confess that 
no great attention was paid us at the Capital. 

"We were one of that memorable throng which pressed into 
the great edifice, almost at the risk of suffocation. I saw every 
detail of the ceremony of taking the oath of office, and we 
heard part of the inaugural address. But I wished to get to 
the window reserved for us by a friend on the avenue, so we left 
early. As the carriage containing the President came before 
our window, I noted the exalted look which Mr. Lincoln wore. 
Many who saw the procession have remarked the same thing. 
It was the look of a man inspired, of one who saw far into the 
future and realized what the pageant meant and would mean to 
the future generations. It was the first time that anything 
about Lincoln impressed me as remarkable. His face wore 
what might be described as the most peaceful, sublime and 
prophetic look which a human countenance could assume. 
Turning to Mr. Cullom, I said that at last I could see what men 
meant about the sublimity of the President's character. The 
look reminded me of what a martyr's face must wear when he is 
about to lay down his life for his convictions. 
/ "That evening we attended the reception given at the White 
House by the new President. In this detail I remark another 
of those remarkable evolutions of Washington, socially and 
politically. Instead of the magnificent function called the inau- 
guration ball, at which thousands and thousands of dollars are 
spent on flowers and music and toilets and bunting adornments, 
the only festivity was a reception given at the White House. 



92 Inside History oi- the White House 

In the days just before the peace of Appomatox, few had the 
heart for elaborate ceremonial or gay attire, and those who 
attended the reception which Lincoln extended to the official 
and social world wore for the most part the same clothes in 
which they had viewed the inaugural procession. The Presi- 
dent, I remember, was identically attired with perhaps a fresh 
white lawn tie and a flower for his lapel. He was in high 
spirits that night and both Mr. Cullom and I had a little chat 
and talked over our old neighbors at home. This occasion was 
memorable, not only to me, as the first large reception I had 
attended in Washington, but as the last large official function 
at which Mr. Lincoln entertained." 

Johnson Enters Sadly, Grant Proudly 

On June 19, following the death of President Lincoln, 
Andrew Johnson entered the White House to finish the term 
of his predecessor as President of the United States, a Wash- 
ington newspaper recording the fact of Mr. Johnson's arrival, 
thus: 

"The family of the President consisting of Mrs. Johnson 
and their daughter, Mrs. Patterson (the new mistress of the 
White House), and Andy, Jr., (who is expected to supply the 
place of the frolicsome Tad Lincoln), arrived here yesterday, 
in a special train." 

General U. S. Grant came to the White House proudly, 
as the youngest President to occupy the mansion up to that 
time. Grant was then only forty-seven and he held the record 
for youth among Presidents until the coming of Mr. Roose- 
velt at the age of forty-three. Other youthful Presidents were 
Franklin Pierce and James A. Garfield, age forty-nine ; and 
Grover Cleveland, age forty-eight. 

Hayes — Only President Taking the Oath in the 
White House 

A peculiar feature of President Hayes' inauguration was 
that he took the oath of office within the White House, the only 



Inaugurations — Lincoln to Roosevelt 93 

President in history sworn in actually inside the historic man- 
sion. Nearly all other Presidents took the oath at the Capitol ; 
while, in the case of Vice-Presidents suddenly called to the 
high office by the death of a President, the oath was taken 
wherever they happened to be at the time. 

In the case of Mr. Hayes' inauguration, the fourth of 
March fell on Sunday, and instead of postponing the ceremony 
of the oath until Monday, Mr. Hayes took the oath in advance, 
Saturday evening, following a dinner at the White House, the 
new President going through this necessary ceremony in the 
Red Room. 

The dinner that preceded the taking of the oath was given 
by President Grant, thirty-six guests being present. At the 
conclusion of the banquet, Mr. Hayes was escorted into the 
Red Room by President Grant and Secretary Fish, where Chief 
Justice Waite administered the oath. Mr. Hayes did not use 
a Bible for the purpose, as had his predecessors, but was sworn 
in by the uplifting of his hand. A report of the ceremony says : 

"At the time the oath was administered, the Red Room was 
profusely decorated with flowers, and the table in the centre, 
near which the new President stood, was covered with rare 
plants. The principal wall decoration of this room is the life- 
size group of General Grant and his family, painted by 
Coggswell in 1867." 

Garfield and Arthur Inaugurations 

A sight that elicited prolonged cheering on the part of the 
onlooking crowd at President Garfield's inauguration, was that 
of the President turning to his mother and kissing her and 
saying : 

"It's all because of you, mother." 

In describing the coming of the Garfields to the White 
House, one reporter wrote : 

"The White House grounds put on a gala dress. Lines of 
streamers and signal flags ran from tree to tree across the semi- 
circular drive to the entrance and across the lawn itself, lighting 



94 Inside History op the White House 

up the grounds with their gay colors. The columns of the 
portico were decorated with evergreen, and in the pediment of 
the portico was a large glass star which blazed out to-night in 
the red, white and blue. In front of the White House grounds, 
a large stand was erected from which President Garfield, after 
the Inaugural ceremony, reviewed the procession. It is a plain 
wooden stand, no better than those erected for spectators, except 
that it is surmounted with a wooden eagle. 

''General Garfield was more than prompt, so much so that he 
reached the Capitol with President Hayes, half an hour before 
the latter's term expired. General Garfield's escort, the Cleve- 
land Cavalry, were formed in front of the White House at an 
early hour and awaited the coming of the two Presidents. 
About eleven o'clock two four-in-hand carriages drove into the 
White House grounds, the fine bays of the first being driven 
by Albert, the Presidential coachman, who has held office now 
under several Administrations. General Garfield and President 
Hayes stepped into this carriage and took the back seat, Presi- 
dent Hayes being on the right. Opposite to them sat Senators 
Anthony and Bayard of the Senate Committee of Arrangements. 
The second carriage was taken by Vice-President-elect Arthur, 
who was accompanied by Senator Pendleton, another member 
of the Committee. The procession then started at the sound of 
a signal gun-" 

Of President Arthur's inauguration, a very simple cere- 
mony following the death of President Garfield, we learn that 
in accordance with the dispatch received from the Cabinet in 
regard to taking the oath of office, messengers were sent to the 
different judges of the Supreme Court. The first to put in an 
appearance was Judge John R. Brady, who was closely fol- 
lowed by Justice Donohue. The party, comprising the Vice- 
President and the judges named, besides District Attorney 
Rollins, and Elihu Root, and the eldest son of the new Presi- 
dent, assembled in the front parlor of No. 123 Lexington 
Avenue (General Arthur's residence), where the oath of office 
was administered. 



Inaugurations — Lincoln to Roosevelt 95 

Cleveland to Roosevelt — First Days in Washington 

President Cleveland, on the day of his inauguration, was 
received at the White House by President Arthur, and together 
the two drove to the Capitol, the coachman being Albert Haw- 
kins, who had driven White House carriages for Grant, and 
Hayes and Garfield. 

After the usual ceremonies at the Capitol, President Cleve- 
land returned to the White House and reviewed the military 
procession, which, on this occasion, included some 25,000 troops. 
Then followed a lunch in the White House, given by Mr. 
Arthur, the last entertainment of an official character given by 
the outgoing President. 

Doorkeeper Pendel, who had served as a White House 
attache longer even than the coachman already mentioned, 
Hawkins, relates the story of the coming of President Cleveland 
to the White House for his second term, after the lapse of four 
years during which President Harrison was the occupant of the 
mansion. In his book, Thirty-six Years in the White House, 
Mr. Pendel says : 

"The fourth of March on which Mr. Cleveland took the 
oath of office for the second time was one of the most blustering 
days imaginable. It was very cold and bleak. The first thing 
I did that night when I came on duty was to take a prescription 
out for one of the President's children, who was somewhat indis- 
posed. Four years previous to that I had escorted Mrs. Cleve- 
land to her carriage. It was pouring rain, and I had the pleas- 
ure of shaking hands with her and bidding her good-bye. Now 
I stood at the Blue Parlor door and let her in — the same door 
out of which she had gone four years before — and had a kindly 
handshake with her. She looked charming, and seemed to be 
perfectly happy." 

Concerning the inaugurations of President McKinley and 
Roosevelt, little need be said here, as these events are still fresh 
in the minds of readers. It is perhaps sufficient to state that 
both Mr. McKinley's first and second welcomes at the White 
House were events of wide interest and of general rejoicing in a 



96 Insidr History oe the White House 

political sense, while the first coming of Mr. Roosevelt to the 
White House was an occasion of profound sorrow, the mansion 
being in deep mourning for the martyred President who had 
just passed to the Great Beyond. 



\ 


^" 


.* 

^.^ 




^s 




CHAPTER VI 
Early "First Gentlemen" and their Daily Routine 

THE PERSONALITY, character, habits and methods of 
work of the various Presidents, as evidenced in their lives 
in the White House, were, in each instance, the outcome 
of individual training and previous experience. 

The most scholarly of all the Presidents was probably John 
Quincy Adams^ John Adams, Madison, Monroe and Van 
Buren were polished courtiers. William Henry Harrison, and. 
Jackson, and Taylor, were more used to rough military camps 
than to the refinements of court life. Grant remained a soldier 
to the end, and White House life was irksome to him. Among 
the wealthiest of the Presidents was Arthur, who was also the 
handsomest; while among the poorest in worldly goods were 
t Jefferson and Tyler, Lincoln and Garfield, and Cleveland. , 

Theodore Roosevelt will live in White House history as the 
most active of the Presidents. Probably the most dignified of 
Presidents were the Southerners, including Washington, Jeffer- 
son, and Madison, all of Virginia. The hardest worker, so far 
as the routine business of the nation was concerned, was Cleve- 
land ; while Roosevelt has shown himself to be the greatest of 
all as an originator of new business, and as a host. 

The personal appearance and daily life of many of the Presi- 
dents are given in this and the succeeding chapter. 

first of the "First Gentlemen" in the White House 

Though John Adams was the second President, he was the 
first to occupy the White House as the "First Gentleman" of 
the nation. 



J 



J 



ioo Inside History of the White House 

The second President is described as stout, florid, bald, of 
medium height, large of nose, heavy of expression and a typical 
"John Bull" in appearance. 

Mr. Adams' family, it is stated in The Rulers of the World 
at Home, consisted of his wife and little orphaned grand- 
daughter, Susanna, who preserved as a treasure of memory that 
she was the first child to play in the Executive Mansion, 
although only three years old at the time. The habits of this 
thrifty Massachusetts President were simple and abstemious. 
They went to church every Sunday in spite of rain or snow. 
Their refreshment for lunch was regularly lemonade and oat- 
cakes ; and when Mr. Adams died he left his children a fortune 
of $50,000. Mrs. Adams longed for her New England home, 
and at the end of four months relinquished without a sigh the 
chilly honor of being the lady of the new, barn-like mansion. 

Jefferson Polished Despite "Simplicity" 

Despite all the simplicity that has been described as charac- 
terizing Jefferson and his life at the White House, he was a 
gentleman of the old school, polished and trained in the arts of 
social life. His uncouth dress was simply part of his deter- 
mination to set an example to others in the matter of practicing 
simplicity and in eliminating ostentation and class distinction 
from White House life. Hence it happens that one friend of 
his described him as "a tall man, with a very red, freckled face 
and grey neglected hair ; his manners good-natured, frank, and 
rather friendly, though he had somewhat of a cynical expres- 
sion of countenance. He wore a blue coat, a thick grey-colored 
hairy waistcoat, with a red under waistcoat lapped over it, 
green velveteen breeches with pearl buttons, yarn stockings, and 
slippers down at the heels." 

John Qoincy Adams the Scholar 

President John Quincy Adams, a man of learning, a pro- 
found student, often said that he preferred his books to the 
social whirl of official life. At the time of his incumbencv he 



Early "First Gentlemen" ioi 

was said to be stockily built, with a large head, high, bald fore- 
head, bushy eyebrows, large, firm mouth and dark eyes. 

In the matter of daily habits of life at the White House, 
John Quincy Adams was in the habit of rising between four 
and seven, and then walking four miles, and on his return see- 
ing the sun rise from the northeastern window. He break- 
fasted at nine, dined at five, and received visitors in the inter- 
vals. He wrote letters or official papers, read despatches and 
newspapers in the evening, and went to bed at ten. 

The diary of this second President Adams is the best author- 
ity, for the facts relating to his daily routine in the President's 
House. In May following his inauguration, he wrote in his 
diary — (and this, so far as we know, is the only diary of a 
President that has come down to us) — this : 

"Sunday, May i. — Since my removal to the Presidential 
Mansion, I rise about five, read two chapters of Scott's Bible 
and Commentary, and the corresponding Commentary of Hew- 
lett; then the morning newspapers and public papers from the 
several Departments ; write seldom and not enough ; breakfast 
an hour from nine to ten; then have a succession of visitors, 
upon business in search of a place, solicitors for donations, or 
for mere curiosity from eleven till between four and five o'clock. 
The heads of Departments, of course, occupy much of this 
time. Between four and six I take a walk of three or four 
miles. Dine from half-past five till seven, and from dark till 
about eleven I generally pass the evening in my chamber, sign- 
ing land-grants or blank patents, in the interval of which, for 
the last ten days, I have brought up three months' arrears in my 
diary index. About eleven I retire to bed." 

And a year later, December, 1825 — this : 

"The life that I lead is more regular than it has perhaps been 
at any other period. It is established by custom that the Presi- 
dent of the United States goes not abroad into any private com- 
panies; and to this usage I conform. I am, therefore, com- 
pelled to take my exercise, if at all, in the morning before break- 
fast. I usually rise between five and six — that is, at this time 



102 Inside History oe the White House 

of the year, from an hour and a half to two hours before the 
sun. I walk by the light of moon or stars or none, about four 
miles, usually returning home in time to see the sun rise from 
the eastern chamber of the House. I then make my fire, and 
read three chapters of the Bible with Scott's and Hewlett's 
Commentaries. Read papers till nine. Breakfast, and from 
ten till five P.M. receive a succession of visitors, sometimes 
without intermission — very seldom with an interval of half an 
hour — never such as to enable me to undertake any business 
requiring attention. From five to half-past six we dine ; after 
which I pass about four hours in my chamber alone, writing in 
this diary, or reading papers upon some public business — 
excepting when occasionally interrupted by a visitor. Between 
eleven and twelve I retire to bed, to rise again at five or six the 
next morning." 

"Old Hickory" in a Rocking Chair 

Andrew Jackson is said to have been tall, lean and angular ; 
long of face, homely, large-featured and bushy-haired. 

Mrs. Fremont, the daughter of Senator Benton, of Missouri, 
gives the following account of her youthful observations in the 
White House when "Old Hickory" was President : 

"Among my earliest memories of the White House is the 
impression that I was to keep still and not fidget, or show pain, 
even if General Jackson twisted his fingers a little too tightly in 
my curls ; he liked my father to bring me when they had their 
talks, and would keep me by him, his hand on my head — for- 
getting me of course in the interest of discussion — so that some- 
times his long bony fingers took an unconscious grip that would 
make me look at my father, but give no other sign. He was 
sure to praise me afterward if I did not wince, and would pres- 
ently contrive my being sent off to the nursery to play with the 
Donelson children. 

"We would find the President in an upper room, where the 
tall south windows sent in long breadths of sunshine ; but his 
big rocking-chair was always drawn close to the large wood- 



Early "First Gentlemen" 103 

fire. Wounds and rheumatism went for much in the look of 
pain fixed on his thin face. 

"President Jackson at first had suppers at the general recep- 
tions, but this had to be given up. He had them, however, for 
his invited receptions of a thousand or more. It was his wish 
I should come to one of these great supper-parties ; and I have 
the beautiful recollection of the whole stately house adorned 
and ready for the company — (for I was taken early and sent 
home after a very short stay) — the great wood-fires in every 
room, the immense number of wax lights softly burning, the 
stands of camellias and laurestina banked row upon row, the 
glossy dark-green leaves bringing into full relief their lovely 
wax-like flowers; after going all through this silent waiting 
fairyland, we were taken to the State dining-room, where was 
the gorgeous supper-table shaped like a horseshoe, and covered 
with every good and glittering thing French skill could devise, 
and at either end was a monster salmon in waves of meat jelly." 

Van Buren the President Serene 

President Van Buren was small and slender. He had large 
dark eyes, broad high brow and shrewd expression, with curly 
hair and side-whiskers. 

His good friend, William Allen Butler, of New York, 
describes President Van Buren's character thus : 

"Mr. Van Buren in his personal traits was marked by rare 
individuality. He was a gentleman, and he cultivated the 
society of gentlemen. He never had any associates who were 
vulgar or vicious. He affected the companionship of men of 
letters, though I think his conclusion was that they are apt to 
make poor politicians and not the best of friends. Where he 
acquired the peculiar neatness and polish of manner which he 
wore so lightly, and which served every turn of domestic, social 
and political intercourse, I do not know. As far as my early 
recollections go, it was not indigenous in the social circles of 
Kinderhook. I do not think it was essentially Dutch. It could 
hardly be called natural, although it seemed so natural in him. 



104 Inside History of the White House 

It was not put on, for it was never put off. As you saw him 
once — you saw him always — always punctilious, always polite, 
always cheerful, always self-possessed- It seemed to any one 
who studied this phase of his character as if, in some early 
moment of his destiny, his whole nature had been bathed in a 
cool, clear and unruffled depth, from which it drew this life- 
long serenity and self-control." 

"Rough and Ready" Taylor 

President Taylor has been described as stout, and of middle 
height, with swarthy complexion and rugged but kindly face, 
with a high forehead, keen eyes, dark hair and side-whiskers. 

While President Taylor occupied the White House, few 
persons had any difficulty in reaching the Chief Executive. 
This President was a born host and knew how to make each 
particular guest at home in the Presidential mansion. When 
his guests called they would sometimes gather on the White 
House grounds, each waiting for the President to approach 
and converse with them in his democratic fashion. One such 
occasion is described by Frederika Bremer, in a diary of her's 
subsequently published, in which she says : 

"The Senator from New Hampshire took Miss Lynch and 
myself to the White House, just out of the city, where in the 
park, every Saturday afternoon, there is military music, and 
the people walk about. The President was out among the 
crowd. I was introduced to him, and we shook hands. He is 
kind and agreeable, both in appearance and manner, and was 
simply, almost negligently dressed. He is universally esteemed 
for the spotless purity of his character." 

Another admirer of Taylor's, Mr. D. W. Mitchell, writes of 
a similar gathering, thus : 

"Perhaps few scenes in the United States would impress a 
stranger more favorably than one often to be witnessed at 
Washington on a summer evening. The military or Marine 
Band is playing excellent music in the garden of the White 
House, everybody walking in and out and about without restric- 



Early "First Gentleman" 105 

tion ; the President perhaps strolling over the lawn among the 
company, ready to shake hands with any one who chooses to 
introduce himself, or whom any citizen, however humble, may 
please to introduce. Well-dressed women — amid all the sorts 
of people assembled, not a poorly-dressed woman is to be seen — 
public men, clerks, and groups of various kinds, are promenad- 
ing, while children are gambolling about. Laborers roughly 
dressed stand or lounge on the grass ; there is no guard, no 
police; all behaving themselves properly. No one — not the 
Irish Biddy taking her mistress's children out for an airing, 
nor the neat negro wench engaged in like manner — fears any 
annoyance or rudeness from any person. More than once on 
these occasions I saw General Taylor, and could not but con- 
clude that he was a plain, good-hearted, honest, hard-working 
man, of well-balanced mind, favored by circumstances and for- 
tunate in the enemies whom he had fought and conquered." 

President Fillmore a Physical Marvel 

In a tribute paid to Millard Fillmore, one of his visitors at 
the White House said to him : 

"Take him for all in all, Millard Fillmore is one of the most 
remarkable men our country has produced— remarkable for his 
appearance, remarkable for his fortunes, remarkable for the 
dignity, the prudence and the wisdom of his Administration." 

President Fillmore was often asked : "How is it, Mr. Presi- 
dent, that despite the physical and mental strain of public office, 
you have retained your health in such a remarkable degree?" 
Mr. Fillmore possessed a personality abounding in magnetism 
as the result of his perfect health. Cheerfulness characterized 
his every moment. And in explanation of these characteristics, 
he himself wrote, after leaving the White House, saying : 

"I owe my uninterrupted bodily vigor to an originally strong 
constitution, to an education on a farm, and to life-long habits 
of regularity and temperance. Throughout all my public life, 
I maintained the same regular and systematic habits of living 
to which I had previously been accustomed. I never allowed 



106 Inside History of the White House 

my usual hours for sleep to be interrupted. The Sabbath I 
kept as a day of rest. Besides being a religious duty, it was 
essential to health. On commencing my Presidential career, I 
found that the Sabbath had been frequently employed by visitors 
for private interviews with the President. I determined to put 
an end to this custom, and ordered my doorkeeper to meet all 
Sunday visitors with an indiscriminate refusal. While Chair- 
man of the Committee of Ways and Means, and during my 
entire Presidential term, my labors were always onerous, and 
often excessive, but I never suffered an hour of sickness through 
them all." 

President Pierce Eulogized by Admirers 

"Mr. Pierce was personally popular, engaging in his man- 
ners, agreeable in all social intercourse, and generous and 
kindly in his disposition. He inspired the personal respect and 
love of all with whom he came in contact. He was exceedingly 
fond of sport, particularly fishing, and would spend days in his 
favorite amusement." 

So wrote one admirer of President Pierce, while another, 
no less a man than Washington Irving, who was delighted with 
President Pierce's decision to send Nathaniel Hawthorne, an 
intimate friend of the President's, to Liverpool to represent the 
United States as Consul-General at that place, said : 

"I have become acquainted with the President-elect. He is 
a quiet gentleman-like man in appearance and manner, and I 
have conceived a goodwill for him, from finding in the course 
of our conversation that he has it at heart to take care of Haw- 
thorne, who was his early fellow-student." 



CHAPTER VII 

Later "First Gentlemen" and Their Day's Work 
Lincoln Always Accessible 

{{"-|PHE PRESIDENT is accessible to private individuals 
* who desire to see him on business, and he has also set 
apart an hour or two on certain days in each week for 
receiving the friendly visits of the public. The President never 
accepts invitations to dine, or makes social visits. An invitation 
by the President is accepted, notwithstanding a previous en- 
gagement." 

Thus wrote a Mr. Morrison, following the latter's visits to 
the White House during which he had a talk with Mr. Lincoln. 

Years afterward, the late Dr. T. Dewitt Talmage wrote of 
his meeting with Lincoln at the White House, saying : 

"We followed into his room a committee who had come to 
Washington to tell the President how to conduct the war. We 
do not know who the committee was. The President was the 
saddest looking man I ever saw. He had a far-away look. He 
evidently, while standing under the fire of an address which 
was being made to him, saw the battlefields and hospitals and 
conflagrations and national bereavement. One of his great 
trials was that of being subjected to advice by people of all 
sorts who had no qualification for giving advice. When one of 
our party asked for his autograph, he cheerfully gave it, asking, 
'Is this all I can do for you ?' 

"At that time he was the most abused man in America. 
To-day he is the most admired man in all our country's history, 
with the exception of Washington." 



108 Inside History oe the White House 

Grant Always A Soldier 

General Grant remained a soldier even in his statesmanship. 
He was a plain man and he said so. The etiquette of White 
House life was ever most difficult for him to adhere to. On 
one occasion he was induced to dance. It was at a State ball 
and when some asked him to repeat his performance, he 
replied: "I would rather storm a fort than attempt another 
dance !" 

A dress suit was to him a thing to be abhorred. He would 
never put on such dress unless actually compelled to. Often 
he would go into the White Lot behind the White House and 
join the boys who happened to be there playing ball. 

Of President Grant's daily routine at the White House, the 
announcement was made, early in his administration, that : 

"The President has set apart the morning up to ten A.M. to 
attend to his private business, telegrams and official corre- 
spondence; from ten to twelve he will receive Senators and 
Members who may call, and after hearing them, such civilians as 
may call on general business. From twelve to three the Presi- 
dent will attend to official business, and at three he will leave 
the public rooms in the White House, and see no one thereafter 
on business or political matters. On Sundays, no business is to 
be transacted, nor any visitors to be admitted to the Executive 
Mansion." 

President Hayes the Hospitable 

President Hayes is described as tall and strongly built, with 
high, broad forehead. He had brown hair and beard, an 
aquiline nose and bushy brows. 

There were two children in the White House in President 
Hayes' term. These were the President's son Scott, aged five ; 
and his daughter Fanny, aged eleven. Three grown sons were 
also members of the household, these being Rutherford, Webb 
and Birchard. 

Some idea of the daily life in the White House in Hayes' 
administration may be gained from the following account, 
written by a contemporary : 



Later "First Gentlemen" 109 

"It is a household noted for its hospitality, and one gener- 
ally enlivened by the presence of guests. Mrs. Hayes takes 
great interest in public matters, has a pride in keeping the 
house attractive and in superintending its decorations for offi- 
cial occasions. It is a family simple in its tastes and cordially 
•united in its members. The sons are young men of most cor- 
rect and industrious habits, affable, free from frivolity and with- 
out any of the affectation which so often attaches to the posi- 
tion which they occupy. The family is regular in its attendance 
upon church; and the White House on Sunday is as quiet and 
orderly as any American home. 

"The President is a most affectionate father, and a day sel- 
dom passes that he does not devote some time to games with 
the younger children. He is an exceedingly busy man, rising 
early and working late. He is a close student of all phases of 
public affairs and an industrious reader of the histories of pre- 
vious Administrations. He is a strong and clear talker, and 
has decided ideas on all questions, which he expresses with force 
to those with whom he feels free to talk. He frequently walks 
in the morning, and rides for a time before dinner, and thus, by 
much exercise in the open air, he maintains his strength for the 
long siege of each day's listening to the countless applicants, 
who pass in and out of his room in ceaseless procession for six 
days of the week. He carries on a large private correspondence 
and writes his own important message and State papers. Much 
of this work he performs before breakfast. 

"Callers on public business are received from ten o'clock, 
and business hours either for the public or for members of 
Congress, do not cease till three o'clock. Cabinet officers and 
members of the press upon urgent business and others by spe- 
cial appointment are received at any time up to ten o'clock and 
sometimes as late as eleven o'clock at night. All working days 
are thus filled with business of the most varied and often per- 
plexing character. And yet, through it all, the President main- 
tains unvarying equanimity, and the endless routine does not 
wear upon him." 



no Inside History of the White House 

Garfield's Social and Business Habits 

Mr. E. V. Simalley years ago wrote a vivid description of 
White House life, both as to its social and business divisions, 
under President Garfield. In the course of his remarks, Mr. 
Smalley has this to say : 

"The external appearance of the Executive Mansion does 
not change from Administration to Administration, except that 
its freestone walls get a fresh coat of white paint now and then. 
Going up to the portico to-day, I saw in its iron tripod on the 
wall beyond the carriage drive the empty bombshell in which 
a pair of swallows built their nest during the war and gave the 
Western poet, John J. Piatt, a theme for his 'Nests at Wash- 
ington.' Within the house the carpets and furniture are 
renewed once in eight or ten years. To my mind the old mahog- 
any sofas and chairs which were in the State Parlors in Lin- 
coln's time, were better than anything that has come in their 
place. At least they were quiet and dignified. 

"The old staff of servants which President Hayes employed 
are still on duty. I get a friendly nod from the doorkeeper, 
and passing to the left from the wide entrance hall into the 
little cross hall, go up the narrow stairs leading to the offices 
on the second floor. The door into the East Room is open, and 
facing it hangs Huntington's new picture of Mrs. Hayes, whose 
bright happy face looks smilingly down at the scene of her 
former social triumphs. 

"But I have only a glimpse of the picture as I go up the 
stairs. The atmosphere is close and heavy on this stairway 
and affects one singularly. Perhaps the sighs of the disap- 
pointed office-seekers who for more than half a century have 
descended the steps, have permeated the walls and give to the 
air a quality that defies ventilation. There are crowds in the 
ante-room and crowds in the upper hall. All these people are 
eager-eyed, restless and nervous. They want something which 
the great man in that well-guarded room across the hall can 
give if he chooses, but which they fear they will not get. 

"Congressmen and other persons of some note are shown 



Later "First Gentlemen" hi 

into the private secretary's office, while the miscellaneous multi- 
tude impatiently ranges about the ante-room and halls. Beyond 
this office and down a flight of three steps, is the room where 
Cabinet meetings are held and where the President receives 
most of his business calls. Seeing him for the first time since 
the election, I naturally look for traces of excitement and worry 
on his face. There are a few additional lines about the eyes, 
perhaps, but he wears his old robust, hearty, frank look, stands 
as straight as a soldier, and greets his friends with the same 
cordial, strong, magnetic grasp of the hand they all remember. 
In his new situation General Garfield has to learn to be a good 
listener, for all day long arguments and appeals are poured into 
his ears. 

"The routine office work of the White House constantly 
increases. The early Presidents were not allowed even a pri- 
vate secretary by law. They had to pay for all clerical assist- 
ance out of their own salaries. Afterward one secretary was 
provided for ; then an assistant was added. From Administra- 
tion to Administration the work- force grew by the addition of 
clerks, or the detail of Army officers until what is practically a 
Bureau of Appointments has grown up. Including the Private 
Secretary there are now seven persons attached to this bureau 
and their places are no sinecures. Often they are busy until 
late at night bringing up the day's work. 

"In length of service the oldest member of the White House 
staff is Mr. W. L. Crook, the executive agent and disbursing 
clerk, who dates back to the end of President Lincoln's Admin- 
istration ; but there is among the servants of the house a man 
who was appointed by President Fillmore ; he is the fireman, 
and his name is Herbert; and the principal doorkeeper, Mr. 
Loeffler, was put in his place by President Grant in 1869. 

"The exchange reader does his work behind a big screen in 
the general reception room. The private secretary Mr. Brown 
and Mr. Headley have a room to themselves with two bay win- 
dows looking out on the Potomac and the Virginia hills, and a 
door leading to the President's room. Adjoining is a smaller 



ii2 Inside History of the White House 

room where Mr. Pruden, the assistant private secretary, keeps, 
with the aid of two clerks, the record of appointments and 
removals in formidable leather-bound volumes like the ledgers 
in a counting-house. Besides the staff of secretaries and clerks 
there is what might be called an official staff of servants who 
are appointed by the President and whose salaries are provided 
for by Congress in the annual appropriations. It consists of a 
steward, doorkeeper, four assistant doorkeepers, a messenger, 
four assistant messengers, two of whom are mounted, a watch- 
man and a fireman. There is also a telegraph operator detailed 
from the Signal Service Corps. The other servants of the 
household, such as the coachman, the cook and the waiters are 
paid by the President. The repairs and the general good order 
of the house, its furniture and its conservatory and grounds are 
attended to by the Commissioner of Public Buildings and 
Grounds. 

"The family and social life of the Executive Mansion goes 
on quite apart from the routine official work, and is measure- 
ably secluded from it by the big mahogany doors which cut 
off the portion of the upper hall where the offices are located. 
There is also a great deal of curiosity in Washington when a 
new President comes in, to learn how the lady of the White 
House is going to treat the public. Naturally, the social public 
is eager to be entertained and honored by opportunities to call 
and chat and talk afterward about what is going on in the 
Presidential circle as much as possible. Naturally, too, the wife 
of a President, while wishing to perform well the duties of her 
station, is desirous of keeping her family life from being wholly 
broken up. So there is a conflict of forces going on for a time. 
Mrs. Hayes settled the question in favor of the public, and gave 
it, I think, much more of her time than any of her predecessors. 
Mrs. Garfield seems disposed to draw the line so as to divide 
her time fairly to herself and her family. She will give only 
two evenings in the week to receptions, and is, I hear, deter- 
mined to keep up as much as she can her old home ways — her 
reading of books and magazines, her oversight of the educa- 



Later "First Gentlemen" 113 

tion of the children and her care of her household and all its 
inmates. 

"No one who has a home and appreciates its ties and duties 
will find fault with her. The hospitality of the White House 
will, perhaps, be less unlimited than of late, but those who are 
so fortunate as to enjoy it will be able to do more than exchange 
a bow and a pleasant phrase with the mistress of the Mansion. 
If there is less society, there may be more real sociability. The 
Garfields during their long life in Washington were never at 
all fond of fashionable society because it was fashionable, but 
were always exceedingly sociable when sociability was elevated 
to an intellectual plane. 

"A President's family belongs so much to the public by cus- 
tom and necessity that I cannot fairly be accused of overstepping 
the proper limits of a correspondent's field of observation in 
thus glancing behind the partitions that separate the official 
from the domestic part of the Executive Mansion. Perhaps I 
may safely add that the family is re-united now, the two oldest 
boys having left their Concord school to finish their preparations 
for college under the charge of a tutor. They are both to enter 
the Freshman class at Williams, their father's alma mater, next 
September. Harry (now, 1908, President of Williams' Col- 
lege) eldest, whose household name is 'Hal', will be a lawyer 
if his inclinations do not change during his college course. 
James (now, 1908, Secretary of the Interior in President Roose- 
velt's Cabinet), has a taste for mathematics and the practical 
sciences which point to an active business career. The younger 
boys, Irwin and Abram, are enjoying themselves famously on 
their velocipedes or ranging through the big parlors and broad 
halls of the Mansion. The daughter Mollie may be seen any 
morning hastening to school with her books under her arm as 
pretty a picture of youth and health as can be found in Wash- 
ington. 

"The new Mistress of the White House shows the quiet dig- 
nity and grace and the adaptability, to the requirements of a 
social circle suddenly expanded to a hundred fold, which all 



ii4 Inside History of the White House 

her friends knew she would display. And the 'little mother' 
mingles as much or as little as she pleases in this circle. Her 
place at the table is beside her son and his arm is always ready 
for her support. Her room is the pleasantest in the house, 
with its three windows looking out on the drive, the lawn and 
the gray walls of the State and War Departments. Among all 
the occupants of the White House, I question whether there is 
any one as happy as she. An intelligent observer, and a keen 
but kindly critic of persons and events, she finds life as full of 
interest for her as it is devoid of worry or care-" (See Chapter 
headed "First Ladies" and Presidents' Widows.) 

Arthur, Handsomest of Presidents 

President Arthur, handsome and possessing wealth, came to 
the White House equipped to play the part of President in each 
and every one of the social duties involved. The niceties of 
society were things of which he was master. As a man of the 
world, he insisted upon surroundings of elegance, and it was 
he who caused the White House rooms to be re-decorated in 
good taste. His entertainments were sumptuous, some his- 
torians say, "the most sumptuous" — "dipping deeply into his 
private means to defray the cost of a mode of life which, as he 
felt, befitted the dignity of his office." 

A contemporary wrote of this President that: 
"In General Arthur we have a new type of man in the 
White House. There have been Presidents of all kinds. We 
have had stately Virginia gentlemen of the old school and self- 
made men from the West. We have had soldiers of several 
varieties, rural statesmen and frontiersmen, but the 'city man', 
the metropolitan gentleman, the member of clubs — the type that 
is represented by the well-bred and well-dressed New 
Yorker — the quiet man who wears a scarf and a pin in it and 
prefers a sack coat to the long-tailed frock coat that pervades 
politics, and a Derby hat to the slouch that seems to be regarded 
in various quarters of this Union as something no statesman 
should be without — this is a novel species of President." 




PRESIDENT AND MRS. McKINLEY 



Later "First Gentlemen" n? 

Benjamin Harrison a Tremendous Worker 

That Benjamin Harrison, during his term as President, con- 
tinued to work hard, as had always been his habit, is shown in 
the records of his day's activities, one of which says : 

"The new President's possessed an enormous capacity and 
even avidity for work." 

And another record goes on to say that : 

"President Harrison's methods of work are cool, systematic 
and constant. He is a sensitive man, but a man of nervous 
temperament. He wastes neither time nor energy in fretting, is 
never fussy, and never in a hurry to finish up things at the last 
moment. He has not lost a day by illness since he entered the 
White House. He begins his day's work at nine o'clock and 
there is little to which he does not give his personal attention." 

Cleveland's Auto-Biography 

President Cleveland left the following auto-biography, - 
though it is written in the third person. It is a brief story of 
his own career, in which he sums up life-work as follows : 

"I knew a man who, when quite young, determined to 
acquire a college education and enter the legal profession. 

"The door to a college education was inexorably closed 
against him. 

"He at once set his heart on studying law without collegiate 
training. When it soon appeared that even this must be post- 
poned, he quite cheerfully set about finding any kind of honest 
work. 

"After an unsuccessful quest for employment near home 
he started for the West. He had adversity in abundance. 

"He had plenty of willingness to work, plenty of faith and a 
fair stock of perseverance in reserve. He had no misgivings. 

"After securing a temporary job, he was handed Black- 
stone's Commentaries and turned loose to browse in the library 
of a law office. 

"When, on the first day of his study, all the partners and 
clerks forgot he was in a corner of the library and locked him 



ii8 Inside; History oe the White House 

in during the dinner hour he merely said to himself: 'Some 
day I will be better remembered'. 

"He actually enjoyed the adversities. 

"Even then he was called stubborn. After he had become 
President of the United States he was still called stubborn, and 
he is accused of stubbornness to this very day." 

McKinley's Daily Routine 

The habits of President and Mrs. McKinley, all during their 
term in the White House, were invariably characterized by 
almost Jeffersonian simplicity. They breakfasted at about half- 
past eight. Some time during the morning Mrs. McKinley 
would usually take a drive. Lunch, a simple meal, was served 
in the upper corridor, the guests sitting informally with the fam- 
ily. After lunch the President would resume work in his pri- 
vate office, while Mrs. McKinley retired to her private 
apartments. 

In the afternoon Mr. McKinley would go for a drive, after 
which he usually ran through the newspapers, rested a little 
time, then dressed for dinner. His evenings were as often as 
possible given to quiet, social pleasures. Quite frequently, 
too, informal dinners were given in the White House. Except 
when taking his afternoon drive or walk, Mr. McKinley was 
rarely seen out of the White House. 

Referring to Mr. McKinley's even temper and amiability, 
one correspondent, while this President still lived, wrote : 

"Of all the men who have occupied the White House, he is 
almost the only one of whom it can truthfully be said that 
nobody has ever seen him in a passion. It would be hard to 
find one who had ever known him to display ill temper or betray 
irritation. This characteristic of McKinley's is not due to com- 
plaisance. He has trained himself to it until it has become 
almost second nature with him; but it is not a natural gift. 
Years ago he was as impulsive as others ; but for a quarter of a 
century he has been adapting himself to conditions with which 
few are confronted. 



Over a Century of the White House 39 

British in 1814. The corner-stone was laid October 13, 1792. 
Funds for the original construction of the building came from 
the sale of lots in the Federal City and from the moneys fur- 
nished by Maryland and Virginia for the construction of Gov- 
ernment buildings. The house was first occupied by President 
. and Mrs. John Adams in November, 1800. The first appro- 
priation from the Treasury for the White House was one of 
$15,000, made April 24, 1800, to provide furniture; and the 
first appropriation for repairs was one of like amount, made on 
March 3, 1807. 

President Jefferson had his office outside the White House 
on the site occupied by the present Executive offices ; and in 
1819 Congress appropriated $8,137 for enlarging "the offices 
west of the President's House." The South portico was finished 
subsequent to 1823, at a cost of $19,000 ; the East Room was fin- 
ished and furnished by virtue of an appropriation of $25,000 
made in 1826; and three years later the North Portico was 
added, in accordance with the original plan, at an expense of 
$24,769.25. The White House was first lighted by gas in 
1848; and a system of heating and ventilating was installed in 
1853. Four years later the stables and conservatory east of 
the White House were removed to make room for the exten- 
sion of the Treasury Building. 

How the White House Got Its Name 

At variance are the historians as to how the White House 
came to be so called. One has it that the abode of the Presi- 
dents got its name from the fact that it happened to be painted 
white. Another says that Washington so named it in honor of 
the name borne by the house in which Mrs. Washington passed 
her girlhood. From the various published accounts bearing 
on this point, the following are quoted : 

One writer says : "Its corner-stone was laid October 13, 
1792, and in 1796 General Washington named it 'The White 
House', while in course of construction, in honor of his wife's 
old home." 



40 Inside History of the White House 

Another has it that <s our 'First Lady' of the White House 
never lived in the building which now bears that name, 
bestowed upon it in honor of her early home, the 'White House,' 
where the engagement of Martha Custis and General Wash- 
ington took place." 

From a third source we learn that at first "the house in 
which the President lived was called 'The Palace', but a strong 
anti-monarchical sentiment frowned on this designation, and 
finally Congress formally declared it 'The Executive Mansion', 
and by that name and 'The President's House', it was popularly 
known, until it was burned by the British in 1814. Then, when 
its blackened free-stone walls were repainted white to hide the 
traces of the fire, it was rechristened 'The White House', a 
name that has clung to it ever since." 

But however much the historians may differ as to how or 
where the term White House originated, all are in accord as 
to the various official names accorded to the building at differ- 
ent times. For instance, it is agreed that during the terms of 
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the build- 
ing was best known as "President's House." Then from the 
administrations of Monroe to the beginning of the Roosevelt 
administration, the structure was officially the "Executive 
Mansion." When Mr. Roosevelt came to Washington as 
President, he changed the official name to its present and most 
popular appellation, all documents, messages and letters of the 
President, and all the correspondence of his family, being dated 
from "The White House." 

President Thomas Jefferson's granddaughter, Mrs. Ran- 
dolph, wrote years after she left the mansion : "My grand- 
father did not allow the presents proffered by the Tunisan 
Ambassadors to be brought to the President's House, as it was 
then called — a name which, it seems, is too plain English to 
suit modern notions of dignified refinement, for it has been 
superseded by the more stately appellation of 'Executive 
Mansion'." 



CHAPTER VIII 
"First Ladies" and Presidents' Widows 

THERE have been twenty-six Presidents, but as there were 
sometimes two or three "First Ladies" in a single adminis- 
tration, the number of the mistresses and hostesses of the 
White House is thirty-two. 

These include nineteen wives as follows : Mrs. Washing- 
ton, Mrs. John Adams, Mrs. Dolly Madison, Mrs. Monroe, Mrs. 
John Quincy Adams, Mrs. John Tyler (President Tyler's first 
wife, an invalid), Mrs. John Tyler (President Tyler's second 
wife), Mrs. Polk, Mrs. Zachary Taylor (an invalid), Mrs. Mil- 
lard Fillmore, Mrs. Franklin Pierce, Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, 
Mrs. Andrew Johnson (an invalid), Mrs. U. S. Grant, Mrs. 
Rutherford B. Hayes, Mrs. Grover Cleveland, Mrs. Benjamin 
Harrison, Mrs. McKinley and Mrs. Roosevelt. 

The six Presidents' daughters and granddaughters who 
acted as "First Ladies" were : Mrs. Martha Jefferson Randolph, 
granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson; Mrs. Letitia Tyler 
Semple, President Tyler's daughter; Mrs. Bliss, President 
Taylor's daughter ; Miss Abigail Fillmore, President Fillmore's 
daughter ; Mrs. Martha Patterson, President Johnson's daugh- 
ter; Mrs. Mary Harrison McKee, President Harrison's 
daughter. 

The three daughters-in-law of the President who per- 
formed the duties of White House hostesses were: Mrs. 
Abram Van Buren, wife of Martin Van Buren's son; Mrs. 
Robert Tyler, wife of President Tyler's son, and President 
W. H. Harrison's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Jane F. Harrison. 

The two sisters of Presidents who filled the post of White 



120 Inside History oe the White House 

House mistresses were: Mrs. McElroy, President Arthur's 
sister, and Miss Rose Cleveland, President Cleveland's sister. 

The two nieces of Chief Executives who reigned at the 
White House were: President Jackson's niece, Mrs. Donel- 
son, and President Buchanan's niece, Miss Harriet Lane. 

In this chapter, then, and the three that follow it, will be 
found facts relating to the official life of not only Presidents' 
wives, but also of those relatives of the Chief Executives who 
performed the duties of "First Lady." The present chapter, too, 
contains the facts relating to the widows of the Presidents, 
including information about the three living Presidential 
widows, namely: Mrs. Garfield, the second Mrs. Benjamin 
Harrison and Mrs. Cleveland. 

Presidents Who Married Widows 

Four of our twenty-six Presidents married widows as fol- 
lows : Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Jackson. 
» / President Jackson's wife is of particular interest. She died 
just before he came to the White House, and his mourning for 
her influenced all his remaining years. A pathetic incident of 
Jackson's love for his wife is related by his private secretary, 
Mr. Trist, who tells of his experience thus : 

"One evening after I parted with him for the night, 
revolving over the directions he had given about some letters 
I was to prepare, one point occurred on which I was not per- 
fectly satisfied as to what those directions had been. As the 
letters were to be sent off early in the morning, I returned to his 
chamber door, and tapping gently, in order not to wake him if 
he had got to sleep, my tap was answered by 'come in'. 

"He was undressed, but not yet in bed, as I had supposed 
he must be by that time. He was sitting at a little table, with 
his wife's miniature — a very large one, then for the first time 
seen by me — before him, propped up against some books ; and 
between him and the picture lay an open book, which bore the 
marks of long use. 

"This book, as I afterwards learned, was her prayer-book. 



"First Ladies" and Presidents' Widows 121 

The miniature he always wore next to his heart, suspended \y 
round his neck by a strong black cord. The last thing - he did 
every night, before lying down to rest, was to read in that book 
with that picture under his eyes." 

Three Living Widows of the Presidents 

In nearly every case, the wife of each President outlived her 
husband. Among the few notable exceptions this rule may be 
mentioned Franklin Pierce, who outlived his wife six years. 
John Adams outlived his wife ; so did Andrew Jackson. 

While there is not a single surviving ex-President of the 
United States, three women still live who have shared the life 
and struggle of former rulers of the nation. The three living 
widows of ex-Presidents are Mrs. James A. Garfield, the second 
Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, and Mrs. Grover Cleveland. 

Mrs. Garfield Living in Pasadena 

In Pasadena, Cal., Mrs. James A. Garfield, widow of one of 
the three martyred Presidents, has her home. The press of 
that city says that there she spends her time "in the midst of 
idyllic surroundings." She spends most of her time sewing 
and reading. "She is a sweet and gracious woman, gentle and 
kindly and always ready to speak of the trumphs of her 
husband." 

"Of all the persons of national fame who live in this region," 
writes a press correspondent in Pasadena, Cal., "Mrs. Lucretia 
Randolph Garfield is perhaps held in greatest reverence and 
regard by the people of the nation as a type of the best qualities 
of American womanhood. 

"In her beautiful but modest home in Pasadena, she is pass- 
ing the evening of her life with her brother and sister-in-law, 
Mr. and Mrs. Randolph, as her companions. 

"Some three years ago Mts. Garfield selected Pasadena as 
her place of residence, and has spent almost all of her time 
there since. She lives a secluded but happy life, venturing 
seldom into the outside world, rarely attending any social affair, 



122 Inside History oe the White House 

save those which serve to gather old-time friends at her home. 

"Without affectation, and with sweetness of disposition and 
graciousness of character, she upholds the dignity of her posi- 
tion, and, at the same time has won the sincere affection of her 
neighbors, even those who know her only as they occasionally 
catch a passing glimpse of her on the rare occasions when she 
leaves her own place. 

"The same qualities that President Garfield once described 
as the requirements of a happy home, and which he found in his 
own, prevail in this Pasadena home. 'Six things', he said, 'are 
requisite to create a happy home. Integrity must be the archi- 
tect, and tidiness the upholsterer. It must be warmed by affec- 
tion, and lighted up with cheerfulness. Industry must be the 
ventilator, renewing the atmosphere and bringing in fresh 
salubrity every day; while over all, as the protecting canopy 
and glory, nothing will suffice but the blessing of the 
Almighty'." 

Regarding Mrs. Garfield's fortitude at the time of the death 
of the martyred President, one press despatch published the day 
following Garfield's death, said : 

"Mrs. Garfield bore the trying ordeal with great fortitude, 
and exhibited unprecedented courage. She gave way to no 
paroxysms of grief, and after death became evident, she quietly 
withdrew to her own room. There she sat, a heart-broken 
widow, full of grief, with too much Christian courage to exhibit 
it to those around her. She was, of course, laboring under a 
terrible strain, and, despite her efforts, tears flowed from her 
eyes, and her lips became drawn in her noble attempt to bear the 
burden with which she had been afflicted. Miss Mollie (the 
President's daughter) was, naturally, greatly affected, and 
bursts of tears flowed from her eyes, notwithstanding her noble 
effort to follow the example of her mother." 

Mrs. Benjamin Harrison Living in Indianapolis 

Mrs. Benjamin Harrison was not actually a lady of the 
White House, for her distinguished husband had retired from 



"First Ladies" and Presidents' Widows 123 

public life before he wedded the beautiful Mrs. Mary Dimmick, 
the favorite niece of the first wife of the President. So records 
a newspaper report of to-day which continues : 

"She became a member of the Harrison household prior to 
his election to the Presidency, and after his inauguration she 
took a prominent part in all the activities of social Washington. 
The first wife, Mrs. Mary Scott Harrison, was an invalid during 
a large part of Mr. Harrison's stay at the White House, and 
much of the social duty devolved upon Mrs. Dimmick. She 
cared for it with complete success. When, four years after his 
passing from the White House, Mr. Harrison announced his 
purpose to remarry, there was general pleasure and heartiest 
good-will expressed all over the country- A woman of rare 
beauty and charm, Mrs. Harrison is very popular, both in 
Indianapolis, where she had her home, and in Tuxedo, N. Y., 
where she spends much of her time." 

In the parlor of the Harrison home in Indianapolis, March 
6, 1901, in a casket draped with a banner of the Legion of 
Honor, lay the earthly shell of the man and statesman, Gen. 
Benjamin Harrison. Into this room came the woman whom 
the still, cold mortal there had made a widow. She came to be 
alone with him, probably for the last time. The rest of that 
day and the next he would be claimed by the representatives of 
the city, State and nation. While she stood in the darkened 
chamber, by the bier of her dead, the door opened without noise, 
and a bent form, still shivering after exposure to the chill air 
of the morning, entered. He was a grizzled, gray old soldier, 
in a faded uniform. Unaware of another living presence, he 
shuffled to the casket, leaned over the still face, tears streaming 
down his wrinkled cheeks. "Colonel," he whispered hoarsely, 
touching the bloodless hand on the dead leader's coat — 
"Colonel." 

Just then there was a gentle tugging at his sleeve, and a soft 
voice said, "I am Mrs. Harrison. You are welcome." 

"Do pardon my intrusion," said the old soldier drawing his 
coat-sleeve across his eyes. "I felt I couldn't live out the few 



J 



124 Inside History of the; White House 

years left to me unless I saw my old Colonel alone, like this, 
just once more. I marched with him, from Atlanta to the sea, 
and I've come one hundred miles from home to give him a last 
salute." As he slowly retreated he raised his hand, soldier-like, 
to his brow. The old man belonged to the Seventieth Indiana 
Volunteers, which was led by Harrison in Sherman's famous 
campaign in Georgia — a regiment which was given the place of 
honor in the parade at Washington at Harrison's inauguration. 

Mrs. Cleveland Living in Princeton 

Mrs. Grover Cleveland has only lately been made the widow 
of a President. The whole life of this lovable woman, says one 
present-day report, "since her girlhood days, radiated around 
the life of the only man the Democrats have succeeded in putting 
in the White House in half a century of effort." They were 
wedded in the White House during the first term of the New 
Yorker. For the remaining three years of his term Mrs. Cleve- 
land presided "with a charm and dignity that were irresistible, 
and that gave her, perhaps, more thorough popularity than any 
woman of the many who have held the title of 'First Lady' of 
the land." For four years more, in private life, Mrs. Cleveland 
continued to hold a place in the affections of the people, and in 
1892 the vote of the people carried Grover Cleveland back into 
the chair of Washington. Mrs. Cleveland returned to her old 
place. Her triumphs of the first term were abundantly repeated, 
and when once more the pair retired to private life to take their 
home in beautiful "Westlands," their Princeton abode, "Mrs. 
Cleveland remained a beautiful memory to the Nation that had 
loved her." 

Pensions Drawn by Presidents' "Widows 

Seven widows of Presidents have been awarded pensions by 
the Government. Of these seven pensioned ladies of the White 
House, only one is still living, Mrs. Garfield. The remaining 
six were : Mrs. W. H. Harrison, the second Mrs. Tyler, Mrs. 
Polk, Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Grant and Mrs. McKinley. 



"First Ladies" and Presidents' Widows 125 

The first time a pension was ever suggested for the widow 
of an ex-President was, we are told, when William H. Harrison 
died one month after his inauguration. The death of Harri- 
son peculiarly appealed to the sentiment of the Nation, and Mrs. 
Harrison was voted outright $25,000. Even this sum was, 
not extravagant, for she had to live on it for the twenty-three 
years she survived her husband. 

The second Mrs. Tyler, who married the President during 
his stay in office, occupied the White House eight months. 
When the former President died in 1862, it was found that he 
had left his widow so poorly provided for that Government help 
became imperative. Therefor, a pension of $5,000 yearly was 
granted, which Mrs. Tyler continued to draw until her death 
twenty-seven years later. 

The remaining Presidents' widows who were pensioned 
were: Mrs. Lincoln, to whom Congress soon after her hus- 
band's death voted to pay $25,000 and later a yearly pension of 
$5,000; Mrs. Grant, who received $5,000 a year, and Mrs. 
McKinley the same pension. Mrs. Polk also received $5,000 a 
year. Mrs. Garfield receives the same amount and "no money 
from Uncle Sam's treasury is paid more cheerfully by the 
American people." 



V" 



CHAPTER IX 
Early White House Hostesses 

NINETEEN wives of the Presidents have performed the 
duties of "First Lady" of the land, of White House 
mistress and of hostess of the nation. Three of these, 
Mrs. Tyler, Mrs. Zachary Taylor and Mrs. Andrew Johnson, 
were invalids and hence unable to act, to the full extent, their 
parts in official life, their places in that respect being taken by 
relatives of the Presidents named. Mrs. McKinley, too, was 
poor in health and hence obliged to leave many official duties to 
be performed by relatives. 

The first of the "First Ladies" to come to the White House 
in Washington, from Philadelphia, the old Capital, was the wife 
of President John Adams, popularly known as Abigail Adams. 
It is said of her that she was one of the strongest, ablest, whole- 
somest of women, and though she was in the mansion less than 
six months her impression abides there to this day. 

Numerous descriptions and stories of the Presidents' con- 
sorts, besides those contained in this and the following chapters, 
are given in several other chapters, notably in "First Ladies" 
and Presidents' Widows, in "Entertaining," in "Brides," in 
"Bridegroom-Presidents," and in the chapters on "Receptions 
and Drawing Rooms." 

The Reign of Dolly Madison 

James Madison married a fair young widow, Mrs. Todd, 
who became known in history as the "Charming Dolly Madi- 
son." And it has been asserted that of all the women who ever 
lived in the White House, Dolly Madison, perhaps, left most 



Early White House Hostesses 127 

indelibly the stamp of her character upon it. "During her 
reign, people went there not only because it was the President's 
house, but because it was socially the most delightful place in 
the world. She was merry, intellectual and generous." 

Even in the days when Thomas Jefferson was President. 
Dolly Madison spent a great deal of time at the White House, 
acting for President Madison and his family as the unofficial 
hostess of the mansion. For some fifty years, altogether, Mrs. 
Madison was one of the most popular women in Washington, 
and all historians speak of her as the "most charming" or "most 
commanding" figure in official life at the nation's capital. 

Even after her retirement from the White House, all distin- 
guished men who visited Washington would go first to the 
White House and later directly to the house where Mrs. Madi- 
son had taken up her abode after leaving the Executive Man- 
sion. She was regarded to the end, indeed, in much the same 
light that the ex-Empress Eugenie was regarded in her later 
years. 

One visitor to the White House in President Jefferson's 
term tells how Dolly Madison conducted her through the man- 
sion with all the ease of a real mistress of the place, taking her 
"from room to room, not excepting the chamber of Mr. Jeffer- 
son and his Secretary," in which apartment, "in her usual 
sprightly and droll manner, she opened the President's ward- 
robe and showed his odd but useful contrivance for hanging up 
jackets and breeches on a machine like a turnstile." 

In the succeeding years when Mrs. Madison became in fact 
the official hostess of the nation, she made herself, by her 
delightful manner of receiving the people, probably the most 
beloved woman in the country. One of the guests at the White 
House at the time of the second inauguration, in 1813, of James 
Madison, was a Mrs. Seaton. Describing what took place in 
the mansion that day, Mrs. Seaton writes : 

"Mrs. Madison called on me last week, and very politely 
invited me to attend the drawing-room of Wednesday. Yes- 
terday the most crowded and interesting sight we ever witnessed 



128 Inside History of the White House 

was presented to our view in the Inauguration of Mr. Madison. 
Escorted by the Alexandria, Georgetown and city companies, 
the President proceeded to the Capitol. Judge Marshall, and 
the associate Judges, preceded him and placed themselves in 
front of the Speaker's chair, from whence the Chief Magistrate 
delivered his inaugural address ; but his voice was so low and 
the audience so very great, that scarcely a word could be dis- 
tinguished. On concluding, the oath of office was administered 
by the Chief Justice, and the little man was accompanied on his 
return to the palace by the multitude; for every creature that 
could afford twenty-five cents for hack -hire was present. The 
major part of the respectable citizens offered their congratula- 
tions, ate his ice-creams and bonbons, made their bow and 
retired, leaving him fatigued beyond measure with the inces- 
sant bending to which his politeness urged him, and in which 
he never allowed himself to be eclipsed, returning bow for bow, 
even to those of the foreigners." 

Mrs. Seaton also sets forth her impressions gained at the 
last New Year's reception in the President's house previous to 
its destruction by the British : 

"Yesterday, being New Year's Day, everybody attended to 
pay Mrs. Madison the compliments of the season. Between 
one and two o'clock, we drove to the President's, where it was 
with much difficulty we made good our entrance, though all of 
our acquaintances endeavored with the utmost civility to com- 
press themselves as small as they could for our accommodation. 
The marine band, stationed in the ante-room, continued playing 
in spite of the crowd pressing on their very heels. 

"Her majesty's (Mrs. Madison's) appearance was truly 
regal — dressed in a robe of pink satin, trimmed elaborately with 
ermine, a white velvet and satin turban, with nodding ostrich 
plumes and a crescent in front, gold chain and clasps around the 
waist and wrists. 'Tis here the woman who adorns the dress, 
and not the dress that beautifies the woman. I cannot conceive 
a female better calculated to dignify the station which she occu- 
pies in society than Mrs. Madison — amiable in private life and 



Early Whits House; Hostsssss 129 

affable in public, she is admired and esteemed by the rich and 
beloved by the poor. Her frank cordiality to all guests is in 
contrast to the manner of the President, who is very formal, 
reserved and precise, yet not wanting in a certain dignity. 
Being so low of stature, he was in imminent danger of being 
confounded with the plebeian crowd; and was pushed and 
jostled about like a common citizen — but not so with her lady- 
ship ! The towering feathers distinctly pointed out her station 
wherever she moved." 

During the time of her residence at the White House Mrs. 
Madison many times proved herself a true heroine, but never 
more heroic than at the time, in 1814, when the British attacked 
the White House and burned it. One historian of the present 
day explains that, as the British forces approached, all Wash- 
ington was thrown into a panic, and the inmates of the White 
House were at their wit's end for means of preserving the Gov- 
ernment papers, documents and other priceless treasures, "but 
Madison's wife, the plucky little woman who is known to every- 
one as Dolly Madison, kept her head. At the last moment, as 
her husband with several members of the Cabinet, was hurry- 
ing from the White House, Mrs. Madison seized a carving knife 
and cut the portrait of Washington from its frame. After the 
war it was placed upon the walls of the East Room. It had, 
however, been somewhat damaged; and long afterwards, in 
1866, it was restored and retouched by H. N. Barlow." 

After the burning of the White House, President and Mrs. 
Madison lived for a time in the mansion then known as the Octo- 
gon House, not far from the White House grounds, and there 
for a time "Sweet Dolly" held her court. It was here, too, we 
are told, that Madison signed the proclamation of the Treaty of 
Ghent, when the nation's joy at the ending of the War of 1812 
was so great that even the boys paraded the streets with paper 
bands in their caps bearing the word "Peace." 

The room over the drawing room was occupied by the gra- 
cious Dolly. The Octogon House, now owned by the American 
Institute of Architects, is still one of the landmarks of Wash- 



130 Inside History oe the White House 

ington, a newspaper correspondent writing that "the place is 
well cared for by a custodian, who seems aptly fitted for it, as he 
is a direct descendant from an officer of General Washington's 
staff." 

Mrs* Monroe an Accomplished Woman 

Mrs. James Monroe, wife of the fifth President, was a 
daughter of a captain of the British army, Captain Kortright, 
who subsequently became a citizen of New York and a patriot. 
As the daughter of a man holding a high position in social and 
military circles, the young girl who was later to become "First 
Lady" of the land qualified quite unconsciously for that posi- 
tion. When she married Mr. Monroe she went abroad with 
her husband, who had been appointed Minister to France. She 
was trained in the etiquette of court and high official life, and 
when she came to the White House she was spoken of as "an 
elegant, accomplished woman" with a "charming mind and dig- 
nity of manners which peculiarly fit her for her elevated 
station." 

It is written of Mrs. Monroe that "even in extreme age, she 
bore traces of the beauty that distinguished her in early life." 
Throughout his career Monroe was romantically attached to his 
wife ; and, at her death, "interment was delayed until the bowed 
and grieving, statesman could complete the construction of a 
vault designed for his remains as well as those of his wife." 

"We have spent long and happy years together," ex-Presi- 
dent Monroe said to his friend and companion, Judge Watson, 
"and I await the summons to follow her." 

Mrs* John Quincy Adams a "Brilliant Ornament" 

The wife of President John Quincy Adams was a Maryland 
lady, bred to be familiar with social customs in the highest 
ranks, having married Mr. Adams, in London, England, while 
her father was United States Consul at that place- It has been 
said of her that she was a "brilliant ornament to her husband's 
household." She lost her health soon after her entrance to the 
White House. 



Early White; House Hostesses 131 

Of Mrs. Adams' life at the White House, and of her charm 
as a hostess, we quote from an article written by the editor of 
the New York Statesman, Mr. Carter : 

"At nine o'clock General Jackson (the President-elect in 
succession to John Quincy Adams) entered the room, and with 
.great dignity and gracefulness of manner conducted Mrs. 
Adams through the apartments. He was in plain citizen's 
dress, and appeared remarkably well, saluting and receiving the 
congratulations of his friends with his usual urbanity and 
affability. 

"Mrs. Adams was elegantly, but not gorgeously dressed. 
Her headdress and plumes were tastefully arranged. In her 
manners she unites dignity with an unusual share of ease and 
elegance; and I never saw her appear to greater advantage 
than when promenading the rooms, winding her way through 
the multitudes by the side of the gallant general. At the 
approach of such a couple the crowd involuntarily gave way as 
far as practicable and saluted them as they passed. 

"Mr. Adams, who is known to be proverbially plain, unas- 
suming and unostentatious in his manners, received his guests 
with his usual cordiality and unaffected politeness. 

"At about ten o'clock, the doors of the spacious apartment 
were flung open, and a table presented itself to view loaded with 
refreshments of every description, served up in elegant style, of 
which the company were invited to partake without ceremony. 
Conviviality and pleasure reigned throughout the evening, and 
I never saw so many persons together where there was appar- 
ently so much unmingled happiness." 

The First and Second Mrs. Tyler 

The first Mrs. Tyler, according to a description in The' 
Christian Herald, was an invalid, but her feebleness did not 
stand in the way of great usefulness, and she was much beloved 
as the friend of the poor. 

She was unable to stand the strain of fashionable social 
duties, so her son's wife, Mrs. Robert Tyler, was official "First 



132 Inside History of the White House 

Lady," her daughter, Mrs. Semple, relieving young Mrs. Tyler 
when possible. Mrs. Robert Tyler wrote to her sisters in the 
North of her mother-in-law's room: "It is a most quiet and 
comfortable retreat with an air of repose and sanctity about it ; 
for here, mother, with a smile of welcome on her sweet, calm 
face, is always found seated in her large arm chair, with a small 
stand by her side, which holds her Bible and prayer-book, with 
her knitting usually in her hands, always ready to sympathize 
with me in any little homesickness which may disturb me, and 
ask me questions about all you dear ones, because she knows I 
want to talk about you." 

The first Mrs. Tyler died in the White House, and the Presi- 
dent in time married a Miss Gardiner, of New York, who thus 
became the second Mrs. Tyler. A full description of this charm- 
ing hostess of the Executive Mansion will be found in the chap- 
ter telling of Presidents as bridegrooms, and further mention of 
her is contained in the chapter treating of Presidential farewells 
to the White House. 

Mrs. James K. Polk Both Religious and Charitable 

The wife of President Polk had been brought up on strict 
religious principles, and when she came to the White House she 
put those principles into practice as the "First Lady" of the 
land. She had received her education in a Moravian Semi- 
nary (though some biographers speak of her as a Presbyterian), 
hence was opposed even to such rare White House pastimes as 
card playing, dancing and billiards. "Her levees were char- 
acterized by a grave respectability. Refreshments were dis- 
pensed with, and she always received seated." Mrs. Polk was 
the third widow of a President to receive a pension. 

By paragraphers of her time, Mrs. Polk and her methods of 
receiving guests at the White House are set forth with more 
or less detail. One writer of that day compliments the mistress 
of the White House thus : 

"Mrs. Polk dresses in a style rich but chaste, and becoming 
her character, her position and her person- Captain Polk is so 



Early White; House; Hoste;sse;s 135 

spare that if his clothes were made to fit, he would be but the 
merest tangible fraction of a President. He has them, there- 
fore, especially his coat, generally two or three sizes large, 
which imparts something of a loose and easy dignity to his 
Excellency." 

And another writer, John S. Jenkins, pays this tribute to the 
President's wife : 

"Mrs. Polk was well fitted to adorn any station. To the 
charms of a fine person, she united intellectual accomplishments 
of a high order. Sweetness of disposition, gracefulness and 
ease of manner and beauty of mind were highly blended in her 
character. A kind mistress, a faithful friend and a devoted 
wife — these are her titles to esteem. Affable, but dignified; 
intelligent, but unaffected ; frank and sincere ; yet never losing 
sight of the respect due to her position, she won the regard of 
all who approached her. Her unfailing courtesy and her win- 
ning deportment were remarked by every one who saw her pre- 
siding at the White House." 

The same writer, Mr. Jenkins, also relates this interesting 
tale: 

"Shortly before his departure from the Capital, Mr. Henry 
Clay attended a dinner party, with many other distinguished 
gentlemen of both political parties at the President's house. The 
party is said to have been a very pleasant affair — good feeling 
abounded, and wit and lively repartee gave zest to the occasion, 
while Mrs. Polk, the winning and accomplished hostess, added 
the finishing grace of her excellent housewifery in the superior 
management of the feast. Mr. Clay, was, of course, honored 
with a seat near the President's lady, where it became him to 
put in requisition those insinuating talents which he possessed 
in so eminent a degree, and which are irresistible even to his 
enemies. Mrs. Polk, with her usual and affable manner, was 
extremely courteous to her distinguished guest, whose good 
opinion, as of all who share the hospitalities of the White House, 
she did not fail to win. " 'Madam,' said Mr. Clay, in that 
bland manner peculiar to himself, 'I must say that in my travels, 



136 Inside History oe the White House 

wherever I have been, in all companies and among all parties, I 
have heard but one opinion of you. All agree in commending, 
in the highest terms, your excellent administration of the domes- 
tic affairs of the White House. But/ he continued, directing 
her attention to her husband, 'as for that young gentleman 
there, I cannot say as much. There is,' said he, 'some little dif- 
ference of opinion in regard to the policy of his course.' 

; ' 'Indeed,' said Mrs. Polk, 'I am glad to hear that my admin- 
istration is popular. And in return for your compliment, I will 
say that if the country should elect a Whig next fall, I know 
of no one whose elevation would please me more than that of 
Henry Clay.' 

" 'Thank you, thank you, Madam'. 

" 'And I will assure you of one thing. If you do have 
occasion to occupy the White House on the fourth of March 
next, it shall be surrendered to you in perfect order from garret 
to cellar.' 

" 'I am certain that — ' 

"But the laugh that followed this pleasant repartee, which 
lost nothing from the manner nor the occasion of it, did not 
permit the guests of the lower end of the table to hear the rest 
of Mr. Clay's reply. Whether he was certain that he should 
be the tenant of the President's mansion, or whether he only 
said he was certain that whoever did occupy it would find it in 
good condition, remains a mystery." 



CHAPTER X 
Later White House Hostesses 

MRS. ABRAHAM LINCOLN was a member of a true 
Southern family. Therefore it may reasonably be sup- 
posed that sometimes her position at the White House, 
as the wife of the Great Liberator, was somewhat painful, inas- 
much as the views of the members of her own family were not 
strictly in accord with those of her husband. Nevertheless she 
carried off the honors as mistress of the Executive Mansion 
with such a high degree of success that she long remained a 
subject of deep interest to the American people. 

One biographer writes the following of Mrs. Lincoln, the 
time referred to being the first year of President Lincoln's first 
administration : 

"Mrs. Edwards, a sister of Mrs. Lincoln, and Miss Mary 
Wallace, a beautiful miss of eighteen, her niece, will accompany 
Mr. Lincoln's family and assist Mrs. Lincoln in doing the 
honors of the President's levees. Mrs. Edwards is an accom- 
plished Kentucky lady. Mrs. Abraham Lincoln has two married 
sisters now on a visit to Montgomery, Ala. One is from Ken- 
tucky, the other from Selma, Ala. They are both secessionists 
and opposed to the government of their brother-in-law, Abra- 
ham Lincoln. They attract considerable attention and are the 
toast of Southerners. The husband of one has offered his 
services to Governor Moore, of Alabama, to further the cause 
of succession." 

Regarding Mrs. Lincoln's life after leaving the White House 
in deep mourning for the martyred President, it is related in 
Pendel's Thirty-Six Years in the White House: 



138 Inside History of the White House 

"Some years after (referring to the death of Lincoln), dur- 
ing the Hayes administration, a Mrs. Rathbone called on the 
President and his family. I met her as she was leaving and 
found that she was the Miss Harris who was in the box with 
Mr. Lincoln the night he was assassinated. She had just 
returned from Ohio, and said that Mrs. Lincoln was living there, 
in a town called Poe. She stated that Mrs. Lincoln requested 
her to inquire how many of the old employees were still in the 
White House. It touched me much to think that Mrs. Lincoln 
did not forget her old employees." 

Mrs. IL S. Grant Loved Official Life 

Mrs. U. S. Grant was a Miss Julia Dent, sister of one of 
General Grant's West Point classmates. That she loved her 
life at the White House is apparent in reading her own story 
of her life, in which she says : 

"When my General became his country's President I was as' 
proud of him as his country was. My life at the White House 
was like a bright and beautiful dream, and we were immeas- 
urably happy. It was quite the happiest period of my life. I 
am very honest about it. I suppose I might say with touching 
effect that the quiet tranquillity of the farm and its home asso- 
ciations were sweeter to me than the gayety and excitement of 
the Executive Mansion, but it wouldn't be true. I don't know 
what the General would select as the happiest era of his life, if 
he were here ; probably it would be the field of battle, for he 
was a soldier first and all things else came after that. But I 
am a woman and the life at the White House was a garden spot 
of orchids, and I wish it might have continued forever, except 
that it would have deterred others from enjoying the same privi- 
lege. It was a constant feast of cleverness and wit — a 
comingling with men who were the brainiest their States and 
countries could send to represent them, and women unrivalled 
anywhere for beauty, talent and tact. When Congress and 
society get in session, Washington is a Mecca for brains and 
beauty." 



Later Whits House Hostesses 139 

White House Doorkeeper Pendel throws some side lights 
on Mrs. Grant's life at the Executive Mansion when he writes 
in his book before mentioned, that the day of President Grant's 
second inauguration was "one of the coldest days I have ever 
felt here." The West Point cadets had been ordered to Wash- 
ington to take part in the inauguration parade. They had 
marched up to Washington Circle, past the Executive Mansion, 
and in so doing — it was intensely cold and they had no over- 
coats — one of them was freezing to death while in the ranks. 
Word of this fact came to the White House and Mrs. Grant 
heard of it. She had the young man brought over to the White 
House immediately, and I put him to bed and covered him up 
nice and warm. Then Mrs. Grant said to me : 'Now Pendle- 
ton, I want you to look out for this young man and take good 
care of him'. Late in the afternoon, after the procession was 
all over, the cadet came around all right so that he was able to 
get out of bed, and I went down to the hotel with him. Mrs. 
Grant was very kind-hearted. She had as good care taken of 
this young man as if he had been her own son. 

"Mrs. Grant, in holding, her drawing-room receptions, 
would always have me stand in the Blue Parlor, ready, in case 
she should want to give me an order of any kind when she came 
down. Sometimes she would come downstairs and forget her 
handkerchief. 'Pendleton, go upstairs and bring me down 
a clean handkerchief, she would say. She seemed to be quite 
forgetful of the little articles that go to complete a toilet for 
receiving. Sometimes she would forget her white kid gloves, 
and, 'Pendleton, go up and get me a pair of gloves', would be 
the order. Then I would have to hunt up the dressing maid, 
who was usually, about this time, down in the basement taking 
her dinner ; and so it would go. The maid would not want to 
stop eating her dinner to go up and get the gloves called for, so 
she would say to me, 'You go upstairs and look in such and 
such a drawer, in the dresser in Mrs. Grant's room, and there 
you'll find the gloves'." 

"Sometimes Mrs. Grant would forget her fan; sometimes it 



140 Inside History of the White House 

would be her ear-rings, and almost invariably, when she would 
come downstairs ready for her receptions, I would have to skir- 
mish upstairs and try to find what she required in case I could 
not induce the maid to go." 

Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Garfield 

The most noteworthy feature of the official life of Mrs. 
Rutherford B. Hayes, namely, her insistence upon total absti- 
nence at the Presidential table, is detailed in the chapter on 
"Entertaining at the White House." She was a great favorite 
with the people all during the days of the administration of 
President Hayes, and it is related that very often Mr. Hayes 
made her his confident in important questions of State. It is 
said of her that she was "one of the strongest of women as well 
as one of the sweetest." She had most decided opinions about 
public affairs, and could express them in vigorous fashion. Mr. 
Hayes thought her "even wiser than she was, and with his. 
great love for her was ever eager to gain her sanction before 
adopting a new plan or policy." 

Mrs. Hayes died before her husband. 

Mrs. James A. Garfield, still living in Pasadena, Cal., is 
given her share of space in this work in the chapters telling of 
"First Ladies" and Presidential Widows. When Mr. McKin- 
ley was inaugurated, Mrs. Garfield was among the very first to 
call on Mrs. McKinley and they thereafter remained the best 
of friends. It is said that General Garfield "leaned much on his 
wife." She gave him much assistance while he was in Con- 
gress, and even after his election to the Presidency she main- 
tained her position as helpmeet. 

The First Mrs. Benjamin Harrison 

"We are here for four years ; I do not look beyond that, as 
many things may occur in that time, but I am very anxious to 
see the family of the President provided for properly, and 
while I am here I hope to be able to get the present building put 
into good condition. Very few people understand to what 



Later White House Hostesses 141 

straits the President's family has been put at times for lack of 
accommodations. Really there are only five sleeping apart- 
ments and there is no feeling of privacy." 

So said Mrs. Benjamin Harrison when first she came to the 
White House. Her own words show that she was a lady of 
simple habits and tastes. Her biographers record the facts, too, 
that she was the best of housekeepers and the most devoted of 
grandmothers. Up to the time of her death in the White House, 
General Harrison, it is said, "often talked State matters over 
with her. He did not always do so, but, as a rule, when time 
and opportunity permitted, would discuss with her the principal 
plans of his administration. General Harrison, "like all men 
of keen perceptions and good executive tact, saw that a woman's 
intuition was often more valuable in matters of statecraft than 
a man's logic." He did not hesitate to talk over with Mrs. 
Harrison a great many affairs of state and her advice was fre- 
quently found of value. 

Mrs. Grover Cleveland a Second Dolly Madison 

The wife of Grover Cleveland, during her reign at the 
White House, gained for herself a degree of popularity among 
the American people second only to that attained by Dolly 
Madison. 

"The American people," says one report, "regardless of 
place or party, accepted Mrs. Cleveland as the ideal 'First Lady' 
of the land, who, like Dolly Madison of old, was a law unto 
her successors." 

The marriage of President Cleveland and Frances Folsom is 
described in a separate chapter. 

By that marriage Mrs. Cleveland gained the distinction of 
being the first lady to marry a President of the United States 
within the White House walls. She was, also, one of the 
youngest mistresses of the mansion, the only President's wife 
who was younger than Mrs. Cleveland being the second Mrs. 
Tyler. Mrs. Cleveland was twenty-two when she came to the 
White House, while Mrs. Tyler was only twenty. Mrs. Cleve- 



142 Inside History of the White; House 

land was also the first and only wife of a President to become a 
mother in the Executive Mansion, 

Mrs. Cleveland showed, from the beginning, her love for 
domestic duties. She was fond of sewing, as, a contemporane- 
ous report of her daily life says, many of the daintiest garments 
fashioned for her little ones bear ample evidence. "Among her 
friends," says the same report, "it is an open secret that most 
of the daintiest gowns and slips worn by Ruth (their first born), 
as an infant were the work of Mrs. Cleveland's own hands. 
The President's wife is fond of fancy work in the line of 
embroidery and drawn work, but, of course, in the pressure of 
more important things she finds comparatively little time for 
this. This fondness of hers for needle work is not generally 
known. Mrs. Cleveland never mentions it." 

Mrs. Cleveland, it is asserted, made an ideal "First Lady" 
of the land. She did what no other wife of a President 
attempted. For it is asserted that at receptions "she would 
take a step forward and shake hands with the caller, returning 
to her position before saluting the next in line." This task is 
referred to as one which only a woman of tremendous physical 
endurance could carry out successfully- At one New Year's 
reception, for example, nine thousand persons greeted the Presi- 
dent and his wife. So that Mrs. Cleveland took nine thousand 
steps and shook hands nine thousand times on each of these 
occasions. 

President Cleveland, it was reported, was the first President 
since Grant who was not in the habit of confiding his secrets to 
his wife. Mrs. Cleveland cared very little about politics, and 
the President did not encourage her to think of such matters. 
He took the old-fashioned view that "a woman should not 
bother her head about political parties and public questions, and 
that she should be content to rule in the domain of the home." 

General Adam Badeau wrote the following tribute to Mrs. 
Cleveland : 

"The new President has introduced one custom never inau- 
gurated by his predecessors. He married a young wife in the 



Later White House Hostesses 143 

Blue Room. This is a new story for the Story-tellers, a new 
memory to mingle with the political ones. All future chroni- 
clers will tell of it, and they will have no more graceful heroine 
or popular figure in all their annals than the young and attract- 
ive wife who has made herself and her husband so many per- 
sonal friends, and subdued, by her winning qualities, to her own 
mild sway even the bitterest political opponents." 

Another admirer wrote that "it is instructive to make com- 
parison between Dolly Madison and Mrs. Cleveland. They 
were the two most popular women of the White House. It is 
a rare combination of gift and graces that produces a pre- 
eminent social queen, and Mrs. Madison had them all. Mrs. 
Cleveland had the same characteristics, but was not so fond of 
the purely social as her rival. She won by her modesty and 
good sense." 

Mrs. McKinley an Invalid "First Lady." 

Owing to the fact that Mrs. McKinley was ever in poor 
health, life at the White House during her regime, was made 
as simple and as quiet as it possibly could be. Mrs. McKinley 
received her intimate friends, including the widow of Presi- 
dent Garfield, in the library in homelike fashion, while she left 
most of the official duties to her relatives and to nieces of the 
President. 

Her life with Mr. McKinley has been alluded to as being of 
the "Darby and Joan sort." "They were seen together indoors 
and out, and when the martyred President lay on his death bed 
it was to his beloved comrade that he spoke his last words : 
"Good-by all. It is God's way. His will be done, not ours." 

"President McKinley was very kind and gentle to Mrs. 
McKinley at all times," says Doorkeeper Pendel. "Often I 
would go in with cards after she had recovered from spells of 
sickness after dinner. They would be sitting in the grand cor- 
ridor near the entrance to the dining-room. She would have her 
knitting, which she was very fond of, and the President would 
be reading his paper or looking over some documents that 



144 Inside History oe the White House 

required his attention. He seemed to do everything in his 
power to please her. They were a very happy man and wife." 

Of Mr. McKinley's devotion to his wife, one magazinist 
said, while McKinley still lived, that "he has stood between an 
invalid wife and everything that might worry her or annoy. To 
her he has always presented a smiling face no matter what 
heavy responsibilities were resting on him and no matter what 
public difficulties he had to solve. Devotion so constant has 
schooled him in a habit of self-command on all occasions." 

Mrs. John A. Logan, widow of General Logan, paid this 
tribute to Mrs. McKinley at the time the latter was "First 
Lady": 

"Her devotion as mother and wife amounts to idolatry. The 
pictures of her angel babies are ever before her. She never 
wearies of speaking of them and of their cherished beauty and 
winsomeness. When listening to her as she talks of them with 
so much motherly tenderness, one can scarcely believe that a 
score of years have come and gone since they joined the 
cherubs in Heaven. 

"Her adoration of her husband is well known. No one can 
be in her presence long without feeling conviced that 'out of the 
fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh.' She idealizes him in 
a way that is perfectly beautiful ; to her he is far more than a 
perfect man ; he is divine. She descants upon him with all the 
fervor of a maiden in her teens. She deeply appreciates the 
thoughtfulness that prompts him to leave Cabinet meetings or 
other important councils, if they are at all protracted, to seek 
her and see that she is happy and has the companionship of 
some agreeable person. 

"No matters of State could ever engross the President so as 
to make him forget his delicate wife for an hour. She enjoys 
everything the President does, traveling, driving, music, flow- 
ers, and the sight of people. She can never be induced to be 
separated from her husband even for a day, unless it is impos- 
sible for her to accompany him. 

"The writer heard her rebuke a wife one day who announced 



Later White; House Hostesses 145 

her intention of going to Europe, leaving her husband and chil- 
dren at home; and I am not sure, after Mrs. McKinley's 
remarks, that the lady had the heart to carry out her plans. If 
she did, I am sure that her conscience must have reminded her 
of what 'The First Lady' of the land thought of wives who put 
the sea between themselves and their families. Verily the 
domestic felicity of the President and Mrs. McKinley demon- 
strate that there exists in this world of infelicity at least 'two 
souls that are as one'." 



CHAPTER XI 
Relatives as "First Ladies" 

THE "First Ladies" of the land have included, besides the 
wives of the Presidents, relatives of Chief Executives 
such as daughters, daughters-in-law, sisters and nieces. 

Sometimes, because of the invalidism of a President's wife, 
there has been two or three "First Ladies" in one administra- 
tion. For example, the first Mrs. Tyler was an invalid, as was 
also Mrs. Zachary Taylor and Mrs. Andrew Johnson, and the 
places of each of these ladies was taken by one of the relatives 
of the "First Lady" or by the daughter or sister of the President. 

Then, too, Buchanan, was a bachelor, and the place of "First 
Lady" was filled by his niece, Miss Harriet Lane. Grover 
Cleveland also came to the White House a bachelor, and for a 
time his sister acted as White House Hostess. 

Again, President Jefferson was a widower, as were also 
Jackson, Van Buren and Arthur, and hence in each of these 
administrations the place of "First Lady" was taken by the 
President's nearest relative. 

Jefferson's Granddaughter Does the Honors 

The wife of Thomas Jefferson was, at the time of her mar- 
riage to the great patriot, a wealthy widow, who brought to her 
husband a splendid estate in Virginia, at Monticello. She died 
some years before Jefferson was elected President of the 
United States, leaving him three children. 

President Jefferson came to the White House, therefor, a 
widower. And with him, to play the role of "First Lady," came 
his granddaughter, a young and beautiful woman, Martha Jef- 



Relatives as "First Ladies" 147 

ferson Randolph. She was described as "the sweetest woman 
in Virginia, so fragile and so fond of the quiet of her own home 
in Albemarle, that she did not use to the fullest her opportunities 
of reigning in Washington during Jefferson's administration; 
and Mrs. Madison often supplied her place as her father's 
hostess." 

A tribute to Miss Randolph's charms as granddaughter and 
hostess, is paid by the wife of Cabinet officer, Mrs. Crownishield, 
who, in a letter, says : 

"I was at the drawing-room on Wednesday — expected to be 
the only one. Soon after I got in Mrs. Madison said how much 
we think alike — both with a little blue and flowers. I had on 
my blue velvet and flowers on my head. Mrs. Madison a muslin 
dotted in silver over blue — a beautiful blue turban and feathers. 
I have never seen her look so well. There was a lady there I 
had never seen— monstrous large, dressed in plain muslin, not 
even a piece of lace about the neck — just like a little girl's frock. 
Neck bare, a pink turban with a. black feather. All the gentle- 
men thought her very handsome, but Miss Randolph is the most 
admired — not pretty, but very accomplished. Her grandfather, 
Mr. Jefferson, has taken much pains in educating her. I can 
never get a chance to speak to her, she is so surrounded by 
gentlemen — for here there are half a dozen gentlemen to one 
young lady." 

Jackson's "First Ladies/' 

Two young women performed the official duties during the 
administration of President Andrew Jackson, who entered the 
White House a widower, his wife having died just previous to 
his coming to Washington. The two young ladies in question 
were, first, Jackson's niece, Mrs. Donelson; and second, his 
daughter-in-law, Mrs. Andrew Jackson, Jr., wife of the Presi- 
dent's adopted son and private secretary- The success of both 
these "First Ladies," in a social way, was immediate and com- 
plete Mrs. Andrew Jackson, Jr., is described in the chapter on 
"White House Brides," 



148 Inside History oe the White House 

Mrs. Donelson's White House life is suggested by a friend 
of her's, a Mrs. Ellet, who, describing a visit to the President's 
house, writes : 

"The large parlor was scantily furnished; there was light 
from the chandelier, and a blazing fire in the grate ; four or five 
ladies sewing round it ; Mrs. Donelson, Mrs. Andrew Jackson, 
Mrs. Edward Livingstone, etc. Five or six children were play- 
ing about, regardless of documents or work-baskets. At the 
farther end of the room sat the President in his arm-chair, 
wearing a long loose coat and smoking a long reed pipe, with a 
bowl of red clay; combining the dignity of the patriarch, 
monarch and Indian chief. Just behind was Edward Living- 
ston, the Secretary of State, reading him a despatch from the 
French Minister for Foreign Affairs. The ladies glance admir- 
ingly now and then at the President, who listens, waving his 
pipe towards the children when they become too boisterous." 

This granddaughter of President Jackson, to his enduring 
sorrow, died during the last year of the President's second 
administration. The Washington Globe printed an obituary 
notice, in which graceful compliment is paid to Mrs. Donel- 
son, thus : 

"This most estimable lady went to Tennessee during the 
summer and expected to return with her uncle on the first of 
October. For the most part since the beginning of this admin- 
istration, Mrs. Donelson has presided at the President's Man- 
sion; and all who have visited it know with what amenity of 
manners, with what engaging and unpretending kindness, she 
welcomed the guests to its hospitalities. She was destined 
not to share the affectionate farewell greetings with which the 
country is prepared to salute the close of the President's resi- 
dence in Washington ; with which, in all its private and social 
relations, she was identified." 

President Van Buren's Daughter-in-Law Presides 

Martin Van Buren was the third President in thirty-seven 
years to enter the White House a widower, Mrs. Van Buren 



Relatives as "First Ladies" 149 

having passed away eighteen years previous to the election of 
Van Buren to the highest office in the land. 

Now when Mr. Van Buren first came to the Executive 
Mansion, in 1837, Mrs. Dolly Madison was still active in 
Washington Society. She introduced to Mr. Van Buren a 
charming young lady from South Carolina, a Miss Angelica 
Singleton. Miss Singleton became a frequent guest at the 
White House, in the course of which visits she very often met 
the President's son and private secretary, Major Abram Van 
Buren. A romance followed, ending with the marriage of 
Miss Singleton and the Major, at the bride's South Carolina 
home. The President's son, immediately after the wedding, 
brought his bride to the White House — and from that day she 
presided as the nation's hostess, making her debut in the man- 
sion at the New Year's reception of 1839. Regarding this 
initial appearance of the one who was to act as the "First Lady" 
of the White House, the Boston Post printed a paragraph 
reading : 

"The Executive Mansion was a place of much more than 
usual attraction in consequence of the first appearance there of 
the bride of the President's son and private Secretary, Mrs. 
Abram Van Buren. She is represented as being of rare accom- 
plishments, very modest, yet perfectly easy and graceful in her 
manners, and free and vivacious in her conversation. She was 
universally admired and is said to have borne the fatigue of a 
three hours' levee with a patience and pleasantry which must 
be inexhaustible to last one through so severe a trial." 

Harrison and Tyler Families 

President William Henry Harrison was the first of the 
Chief Executives to bring to the White House an invalid wife. 
Because of her poor health, Mrs. Harrison was unable to per- 
form the duties of official hostess, and her place was taken by 
her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Jane F. Harrison, who, at that time 
was "an attractive young widow," possessed of education and a 
high degree of refinement. With her came her two sons. Her 



150 Inside; History of the White House 

reign had lasted only one month, however, when her father-in- 
law died and she retired to private life. 

It is a singular co-incidence that General Harrison's imme- 
diate successor, President John Tyler, should also bring to the 
White House an invalid wife. Mrs. Tyler's infirmities were 
such that she was obliged to relegate her official duties to her 
daughter-in-law, Mrs. Robert Tyler and to her daughter, Mrs. 
Letitia Tyler Semple. Informal dances were given during 
Mrs. Tyler's residence in the White House, the "First Lady" 
declaring that "because I am ill is no reason why the young 
people should not enjoy themselves." She passed away in the 
White House on the tenth of September, 1842. 

When, after the period of mourning at the White House, 
festivities were resumed, society came to meet the new mis- 
tresses of the mansion, now officially the "First Ladies" where, 
until Mrs. Tyler's death, they had held that position only 
nominally. 

President Tyler's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Robert Tyler, was 
very beautiful and extremely fascinating, so much so that 
Washington Irving perpetuated her fame in his Salmagundi, in 
which she figures as "Sophy Sparkle," though personally Irving 
often referred to her as "The Fascinating Fairlie," this name 
having its origin in the fact that Mrs. Tyler's maiden name was 
Mary Fairlie. That she was worthy the name of "Sparkle," 
and that she was indeed vivacious and witty, is shown in one 
of her own sprightly letters addressed to her sister in Phila- 
delphia, in which young Mrs. Tyler says : 

"What wonderful changes take place, my dearest M ! 

Here am I actually living in, and, what is more, presiding at — 
the White House ! I look at myself, like the little old woman, 
and exclaim, 'Can this be I ?' I have not had one moment to 
myself since my arrival, and the most extraordinary thing is 
that I feel as if I had been used to living here always, and 
receive the Cabinet Ministers, the Diplomatic Corps, the heads 
of the Army and Navy, etc., etc., with a facility which astonishes 
me. I really do possess a degree of modest assurance that sur- 




EASTER MONDAY ON THE WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS 




i 



EGG ROLLING ON EASTER MONDAY 



Relatives as "First Ladies" 153 

prises me more than it does any one else. I am complimented 
on every side; my hidden virtues are coming out. I am con- 
sidered 'charmante' by the Frenchmen, 'lovely' by the Ameri- 
cans, and 'really quite nice, you know', by the English. I have 
had some lovely dresses made, which fit me to perfection, — one 
a pearl-colored silk that will set you crazy. 

"I occupy poor General Harrison's room. The nice com- 
fortable bedroom with its handsome furniture and curtains, its 
luxurious armchairs, and all its belongings, I enjoy, I believe, 
more than anything in the establishment. The pleasantest part 
of my life is when I can shut myself up here with my precious 
baby. The greatest trouble I anticipate is paying visits. There 
was a doubt at first whether I must visit in person or send cards ; 
but I asked Mrs. Madison's advice upon the subject, and she 
says, return all my visits by all means. So three days in the 
week I am to spend three hours a day driving from one street 
to another in this city of magnificent distances." 

As to the other "First Lady" who presided in President 
Tyler's time between the death of his first wife and his mar- 
riage to the second Mrs. Tyler, — namely, Mrs. Letitia Semple, 
the President's daughter — a description of her and the story of 
her life will be found in the chapter on "Daughters of the 
Presidents." Mrs. Semple died, December 28, 1907, in the 
Louise Home, in Washington, in her eighty-sixth year. 

Official Ladies Under Taylor, Fillmore and Buchanan 

Zachary Taylor was the third President to be welcomed to 
the White House with an invalid for a hearth-companion. Mrs. 
Taylor was a Maryland girl, and for years had shared toil, 
dangers and hardships with her husband in war and peace. 

Owing to Mrs. Taylor's illness, the official lady of the White 
House was the President's daughter, Mrs. Bliss, to whom 
Taylor always referred as "Dear Betty." She reigned until her 
father died in the White House, a little over a year after the 
Taylors came to Washington. 

In the Fillmore administration the White House possessed 



154 Inside History of the White House 

an official lady in addition to the President's wife, in the person 
of his lovely daughter, Miss Abigail, who assisted her mother 
on all occasions private or public. 

But of all the White House Ladies down to the present 
time, probably the most popular, with the exception of Mrs. 
Madison and Mrs. Cleveland, was President Buchanan's niece, 
Miss Harriet Lane, afterward Mrs. Harriet Lane Johnston. 
Buchanan, being a bachelor, brought this charming relative 
with him from his home in Wheatlands, Pennsylvania, and for 
four years she presided at the Executive Mansion, a period that 
is known as one of the most brilliant, in a social way, in the his- 
tory of the White House. It was Miss Harriet Lane who acted 
as hostess to the Prince of Wales during his stay at the White 
House in i860. So exceedingly brilliant was her reign that 
Jefferson Davis wrote saying that "the White House under the 
Administration of Buchanan approached more nearly to my 
idea of a Republican Court than the President's house had ever 
done before since the days of Washington." 

One who knew her when she presided as Miss Lane, during 
her uncle's administration, describes the impression she made 
at Mr. Buchanan's Inaugural Ball, thus : 

"Miss Lane is rather below the medium height, but has a 
fine figure, and is of that blonde type of Saxon beauty so famil- 
iar to Christendom since the multiplication of portraits of Queen 
Victoria. She wore a white dress trimmed with artificial flow- 
ers similar to those which ornamented her hair, and clasping her 
throat was a necklace of many strands of seed-pearls." 

Another eye-witness at a White House reception in 
Buchanan's time, says: 

"Miss Lane, who is the presiding grace of the White House, 
had her first regular reception this morning. This lady is the 
favorite niece of the President, and for many years has been 
the charm of his secluded household. She accompanied him to 
England and did the honors of his Diplomatic Mansion with an 
ease and dignity that attracted general attention. 

"Miss Lane is destined to acquire a social popularity which 



r Relatives as "First Ladies" 155 

will vie with that which Mrs. Bliss (daughter of President 
Taylor), left as an example seven years ago. 

"The rarest hot-house plants were brought into requisition 
and arranged around the rooms and alcoves; the heliotrope, 
violet, hyacinth and roses of the richest perfume lent their 
sweetness to the atmosphere, and presented altogether a scene 
which an Eastern princess might envy. In addition to this was 
the merry bewitching Miss Lane herself — in all the freshness 
of rural health, her cheeks vying with the rose she loved, and 
her large blue eyes beaming with amiability and gentleness. 
Her person is above the medium height, well proportioned. She 
is a blonde, with light hair, worn perfectly plain, and with a 
faultless complexion, 'blending the lily and the rose' and pro- 
nounced by common consent of both sexes 'beautiful'." 

Writing of Mrs. Harriet Lane Johnston after she left the 
White House and about the time she returned from England 
where she was received in private audience by Queen Victoria, 
a biographer records the fact that "Washington was at the 
feet of Harriet Lane Johnston. After all the years that have 
passed she is the one woman who has never stepped down from 
the social leadership she acquired as lady of the White House. 
She is the most regal of American women ; her presence at the 
most important and most formal State dinners at the White 
House is as much a matter of course as is that of the wife of 
the Vice-President. She has a large house in Washington, and 
entertains frequently in the season. She has a fine, erect 
figure, with a haughtily poised head crowned with white hair. 
For great occasions her toilet is always the same ; black velvet 
and point lace, and her jewels are always pearls and diamonds." 

Even as late as the Cleveland administration we find record 
of Mrs. Harriet Lane Johnston standing by the side of Mrs. 
Cleveland and receiving guests at the New Year's receptions. 

Johnson's Daughter and Arthur's Sister, as Hostesses 

Andrew Johnson's wife, an invalid, married at a younger 
age than did the helpmate of any other of our Presidents. At 



156 Inside History oe the White House 

the time of her marriage she was only fifteen, a Miss McCardle, 
of Tennessee. The bridegroom himself was only seventeen — 
and hence it may be added that the President who married 
earlier in life than any other Chief Executive before or since, 
was Andrew Johnson. 

As an invalid, when she came with her husband to the White 
House, Mrs. Johnson was compelled to relinquish the mantle 
of "First Lady" to her daughter, Mrs. Martha Patterson. It 
was Mrs. Patterson who, upon her entrance to the Executive 
Mansion, gave out this remarkable statement : 

"We are plain people from the mountains of Tennessee. I 
trust too much will not be expected of us." 

Mrs. Patterson, however, was not so much of a stranger 
to White House life as her own statement implies. She had 
often been a visitor at the mansion as the guest of President and 
Mrs. Polk, though at such times she had to get permission from 
the principal of the school which she was then attending in 
Georgetown, D. C. 

Concerning Mrs. Patterson, we find, in Pendel's Thirty-Six 
Years in the White House, this paragraph (penned in 1901) : 

"Mrs. Patterson was a very nice lady and did the honors of 
the White House in a way acceptable to every one with whom 
she was brought in contact. Her husband was at that time 
Senator from Tennessee, and the entire family resided at the 
President's Mansion. The family consisted also of a son and 
daughter, Mrs. Stover, with her two daughters and a son 
(small children) ; Robert Johnson, the oldest son of the Presi- 
dent, then his private secretary, and Frank Johnson, the younger 
son. Out of that entire household there lives to-day only Mrs. 
Patterson and her son Andrew, both of whom reside in the 
neighborhood of Greenville, Tenn." 

President Arthur, being a widower, the first widower since 
President Van Buren, delegated his sister, Mrs. McElroy, to 
act as "First Lady" during his administration. Though called 
with great suddenness to take up her high position, — upon the 
death of President Garfield, — Mrs. McElroy nevertheless was 



Relatives as "First Ladies" 157 

more than equal to the emergency, performing her duties quite 
as successfully as if she had had many months in which to pre- 
pare herself for the ordeal. 

Mrs. McElroy became famous for her hospitality and for 
her graciousness in asking a great many different ladies of 
Washington to assist her. At some receptions she would have 
as many as forty ladies in the receiving line. All this time, the 
President's daughter, little Nellie Arthur, was, of course, too 
young to figure in the White House festivities in any sense 
officially. 



CHAPTER XII 
Secretaries to the Presidents 

EVERY President had had a private secretary, but not until 
the McKinley administration did a President have a Sec- 
retary to the President. The office of Secretary to the 
President is now a regular Government office, and is held only 
by men of high ability. 

All Presidents up to Buchanan, in 1857, P & id the salaries of 
their private secretaries out of their own pockets. During Mr. 
Buchanan's term at the White House, however, Congress 
created a definite office to be called "Private Secretary at the 
White House," and voted its incumbent a salary. The first 
man to hold such office officially and to be paid by the Govern- 
ment instead of by the President, was Mr. J. B. Henry, private 
secretary to President Buchanan. 

Many private secretaries to the Presidents have risen to 
positions of distinction and importance. John Hay, Secretary 
to Lincoln, became Secretary of State under McKinley. And 
Mr. McKinley's private secretary, Mr. George B. Cortelyou, 
became Secretary of the Treasury under President Roosevelt, 
a position he holds at the present time. Grant's secretary, 
Horace Porter (after General) became Ambassador to France. 
Cleveland's Secretary, Daniel Lamont, became a millionaire 
business man. 

Two private secretaries who served in the White House 
married daughters of the Presidents they served. The first to 
gain a wife in this way was President Monroe's secretary, Mr. 
Samuel L. Gouverneur, who married the President's youngest 
daughter. The second, was the secretary to President Gar- 



Secretaries to the Presidents 159 

field, J. Stanley Brown, who later married Mr. Garfield's 
daughter. 

In many instances the President's own son acted as private 
secretary at the White House. This was notably so in the case 
of John Quincy Adams, whose son, John Adams, acted as the 
• President's amanuensis and messenger — as the post was 
referred to in those days. Van Buren's son, Major Abraham 
Van Buren, acted as secretary and married one who was a 
visitor at the White House, bringing the bride there later to act 
as one of the hostesses of the President's house. Andrew 
Jackson's adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr., also was one more 
secretary at the White House to bring his bride there for her 
first public appearance as a married woman. After the mar- 
riage of his son, President Jackson had as his secretary a young 
man whom he had befriended in earlier days. 

Even after the creation of the office of private secretary 
with a salary paid by the Government, the President's secre- 
taries were usually mere clerks or stenographers — until Lincoln 
made Major John Hay take the office against the latter's will. 
After that the office grew in importance until Congress elevated 
the position to the dignity of Secretary to the President, Mr. 
Cortelyou being the first to hold such position, under Presi- 
dent McKinley. 

President Roosevelt's Secretary 

President Roosevelt, officially, is two men. He has two 
pairs of hands, feet, ears and eyes and a second voice. The 
President's alter ego is William Loeb, Jr., Secretary to the 
President. 

Since the President entered the White House the only 
occasions on which he has been just his one self include the 
periods of Mr. Loeb's brief annual vacations and a single day 
when Mr. Loeb was ill for the first and only time. Otherwise, 
night and day, in Washington or in western wilds, the Presi- 
dent's other self has been with him. 

That Secretary Loeb knows the President and his character- 



160 Inside History oe the White House 

istics better than any other man in the White House or in public 
life is certain, for daily and hourly Mr. Loeb is in effect Presi- 
dent Roosevelt. 

"Stonewall" Loeb he is called. He stands between the 
President and the busy bodies, the office-seekers and the cranks. 
He guards the President more closely than do the Secret Serv- 
ice men. He has all the tact essential for his position. "The 
way to have a friend is to be a friend," he said. And he 
practices this always, for whenever he saves the President's 
time, he is being a friend to the President. 

Secretary Loeb has instinctive knowledge of matters which 
the President wants brought to his personal attention. That 
which he knows will be waste of time to tell the President about 
Mr. Loeb attends to himself. The superintendent of a great 
New York publishing house came to see the Executive about 
a hitch in the postal service that seriously affected the publish- 
ing house. Inside of two minutes Mr. Loeb saw that a misun- 
derstanding existed in the post-office department. "It won't be 
necessary to see the President," he said. And forthwith he 
rang up one of the assistant postmaster's general, and in ten 
telephonic words the matter was adjusted and the superin- 
tendent made happy. Thus Mr. Loeb disposes of most of the 
White House visitors without dusturbing the Executive. • 

According to newspaper statements of the present day, 
"Secretary Loeb has broken all records for length of service in 
the important position he now holds. He has served as Secre- 
tary to the President for five years, and it is safe to say that no 
man ever enjoyed the confidence of his Chief to a greater meas- 
ure. The President announced to a party of friends at luncheon 
about two years ago that Mr. Loeb was 'the best secretary that 
any President ever had', and as he has retained him in the place 
and was instrumental in securing for him an increase of salary, 
the indications are that he continues to hold him in the same 
high regard. 

"That Mr. Loeb is just as loyal to his chief is proved by the 
fact that when a Washington Railway Company reorganized 



Secretaries to the Presidents 161 

and elected the Secretary as one of the directors, and the slate 
was all prepared to put him in as the President and Manager of 
the colossal concern, he refused to take the place until such 
time as President Roosevelt would no longer need his services 
at the White House." 

How Mr. Loeb Handles the White House Business 

The labor at the White House is immense, and a great part 
of that labor falls upon Secretary Loeb. For the President 
there is ceaseless worry and harassing anxiety. It is the duty 
of the President's second self to minimize that worry and 
anxiety. To accomplish this Mr. Loeb shoulders all details. 
He is the President's memory, and his timekeeper, his files, his 
records and his workshop. No papers go to the President's 
desk except the papers Mr. Loeb himself puts there. 

Secretary Loeb is the personification of the business system 
of the White House. He is the President's taskmaster. 

There never was a Secretary to a President of the United 
States who had as much work to do as Mr. Loeb. There are 
few men who could keep up with President Roosevelt as Mr. 
Loeb does, for he has a capacity for work second only to that 
of Mr. Roosevelt, even when the latter is strained to his utmost 
strenuous pitch. 

McKinley's Secretary, George B. Cortelyou 

The first man to hold the office of "Secretary to the Presi- 
dent" was the late John Addison Porter. President McKinley 
created the office for him and he held it until his failing health 
caused his resignation. Mr. George B. Cortelyou succeeded 
him and continued in the office until President Roosevelt made 
him Secretary of Commerce and Labor when that Department 
was established in 1903. At the beginning of President Roose- 
velt's administration in 1905 Mr. Cortelyou was made Post- 
master-General, and in 1907 was appointed Secretary of the 
Treasury. 

In the first McKinley administration Mr, Cortelyou was 



162 Inside History of this White; House 

called more or less officially, an "Executive clerk." As such, 
we are informed by one of his biographers, that in addition to 
having charge of the correspondence, Mr. Cortelyou had the 
supervision of the clerical force. He was also the confidential 
clerk to President McKinley, and to him the President dictated 
his addresses, messages and other State papers. He also had 
charge of Mrs. McKinley's correspondence, the arrangement of 
her receptions and duties relating to the making of appoint- 
ments to meet the Secretary and the President and other details 
connected with the transaction of public business in the Execu- 
tive office. During the weeks preceding the date of the open- 
ing of hostilities between this country and Spain, and after that 
eventful day Mr. Cortelyou's duties were of the most confiden- 
tial and exacting character. He was in fact as well as in name, 
an Executive officer, and was made responsible for the carrying 
into effect of many of the orders of the President. 

While they were children in school, in the Hempstead, L. I., 
Institute, says a Christian Herald article, both Mr. and Mrs. 
Cortelyou joined the Methodist Church, and for many years 
continued their membership there. When they came to Wash- 
ington it chanced that their residence was near an Episcopalian 
Church and the children were sent there to Sunday School. 
Young Bruce, who inherits his father's gift of music, was soon 
singing in the choir, and the other members of the family began 
taking up church duties. Mrs. Cortelyou, notwithstanding many 
domestic and social duties, manages to carry on a great deal of 
church and charitable work. She is a director of the Young 
Women's Christian Association of Washington; a member of 
the Rector's Aid Society of St. Margaret's, and president of a 
circle of ten for helping the poor. 

Lincoln's Private Secretary, John Hay 

Just how the late John Hay became private secretary to 
President Lincoln, and of the relations between the two men, is 
told by Brooks Adams as follows : 

"Milton Hay, John's uncle, though younger than Abraham 



Secretaries to the Presidents 163 

Lincoln, had been a student with him, and in 1858 the offices of 
Lincoln and Logan and Hay adjoined each other. Logan and 
Hay were in full practice, but Lincoln was too absorbed in 
politics to care for clients, and so it happened that Lincoln had 
many idle hours on his hands, which he spent in the rooms of 
Logan and Hay. As the heads of the firm were often occupied, 
Lincoln talked with the student, and soon learned to know him 
and to love him. On his side John venerated the future Presi- 
dent. When the Republicans nominated Lincoln in i860, John 
threw himself into the campaign with all the ardor of his nature, 
both as a writer and speaker, and in 1861 Lincoln took John 
with him to Washington as his assistant secretary. 

"Perhaps in all American public life nothing is more charm- 
ing than the story of the relations which existed between these 
two men, the one in the bloom of youth, the other hastening 
toward his tragic end. Lincoln treated Hay with the affection 
of a father, only with more than a father's freedom. If he 
waked at night he roused Hay, and they read together ; in sum- 
mer they rode in the afternoons, and dined in the evenings at 
the Soldiers' Home. In public matters the older man reposed 
in the younger unlimited confidence. 

"During the war the President frequently did not care to 
trust to letters. Then he would give Hay a verbal message 
and send him to Generals in command ; and, in all his service, 
Hay never forgot, and never committed an indiscretion. More 
noteworthy still, he never failed to obtain credence from those 
to whom he was sent, although he carried no credentials. 
Finally, on Stanton's suggestion, Lincoln appointed Hay an 
assistant adjutant-general, and Hay served in the field." 

"Until Mr. Lincoln died," according to an account written 
by Grandon Nevins, in an American magazine, "Mr. Hay was 
the constant companion of that famous Executive, even stand- 
ing beside the bed as the martyred President breathed his last. 
Undoubtedly one of the most trusted of all the men surrounding 
President Lincoln in the dark days of the great strife was John 
Hay. He it was who was entrusted with the private bearing 



164 Inside History oe the White House 

of messages that were too momentous to commit to paper. 
And he it was who went to the front as the personal representa- 
tive of Mr. Lincoln, wherefore he was made an assistant adju- 
tant-general with the rank of major. No man in the Presi- 
dent's official household v/as more overworked than the young 
Major. He slept when he could and ate when he had the 
chance, and when he was not at the front he lived at the White 
House, always at call of the President." 

President Grant's Secretary, Horace Porter 

A man who made his mark at the White House during 
Grant's first term there, was Horace Porter, private secretary to 
the President. He afterward became better known as General 
Porter, and subsequently was appointed Ambassador to France. 
General Porter tells many interesting stories of Grant. For 
example, on one occasion Porter was sitting with Grant one 
night around a camp fire. Suddenly General Porter said : 
"General, it seems singular that you have gone through all the 
rough and tumble of army service, and have never been pro- 
voked into swearing. I have never heard you utter an oath or 
use an imprecation." 

"Well, somehow or other, I never learned to swear," Grant 
replied. "When a boy I seemed to have an aversion to it, and 
when I became a man I saw the folly of it. I have always 
noticed, too, that swearing helps to rouse a man's anger; and 
when a man flies into a passion his adversary who keeps cool 
always gets the better of him. In fact, I could never see the 
use of swearing. To say the least, it is a great waste of time." 

Other Notable White House Secretaries 

Among other private secretaries who came more or less 
prominently into notice while in office at the White House, are 
mentioned in a biographical sketch in a Munsey publication as 
follows : 

"President Johnson's private secretary, William A. Brown- 
ing, played no very important part in the events of his time. 



Secretaries to the Presidents 165 

Johnson wrote most of his political papers with his own hand, 
or had them written for him by important persons outside of the 
White House. 

"President Hayes appointed his son, Webb C. Hayes, as 
his secretary. 

• "President Arthur kept the affairs of his official household 
somewhat remote from public notice, and in this he was greatly 
aided by his private secretary, F. J. Phillips, of New York." 

"President Cleveland's secretary, Colonel 'Dan' Lamont, 
was a very important figure in public life during Mr. Cleve- 
land's first administration. He had some valuable qualities 
which Cleveland lacked, and they did much to make the latter 
popular. 

"Lamont knew everybody ; he possessed abundant tact, and 
knew the political game from beginning to end. When he was 
made Secretary of War, during Mr. Cleveland's second term, 
every one was pleased that the whilom newspaper-man had 
climbed up into the seat of the mighty. On leaving the Cab- 
inet, his abilities were at once utilized in the business world. 
He made a fortune in street-railways, and when he died he was 
vice-president of the Northern Pacific Railroad. President 
Cleveland's later secretary, Mr. Thurber, was efficient, but did 
not become a figure of national importance. 

"President Harrison's private secretary, Mr. Elijah W. 
Halford, was appointed to be a major in the pay department of 
the army, and was later retired with the rank of lieutenant- 
colonel." 

The Social Secretary at the White House 

Not only the President, but Mrs. Roosevelt as well, has a 
private secretary. Acting in this capacity to Mrs. Roosevelt, 
and known as the Social Secretary, is Miss Isabelle Hagner, 
who is sometimes named as "the real hostess of the White 
House." 

In all social ceremonies at the White House, Miss Hagner 
is the censor who says who shall attend and who shall not. 



166 Inside History of the White House 

Only a few years ago Miss Hagner was a clerk in the War 
Department, receiving a salary of $750 a year. To-day she 
receives a salary of $1,400, and is the most powerful factor in 
the White House in all matters relating to the social life of the 
official home of the President. From a newspaper record of 
Miss Hagner's rise to a position of great importance, we learn : 

"When fate gave the reins of the Executive Office into the 
hands of Mr. Roosevelt his wife was in much the same predica- 
ment as was the wife of Secretary Alger, and Miss Hagner was 
detailed for duty at the White House. This detail caused com- 
ment, and by way of avoiding further talk Mrs. Roosevelt made 
Miss Hagner her social secretary. 

"At the White House receptions she has merely to raise 
her finger to 'Charles,' the footman, and he is at her elbow ; to 
Stone, the head usher, formerly a Pullman car conductor, she 
has only to impart an order and it is obeyed. 

"Miss Hagner is of a striking type. She is large, has 
pretty dark eyes, a good complexion and fair hair. When not 
driving down town in the President's carriage to do her morn- 
ing shopping she takes a brisk walk through the shopping dis- 
trict, and is pointed out as the one woman in all Washington 
who has absolute freedom of the White House." 



CHAPTER XIII 
Letters and Gifts for the Presidents 

THE first letter received by a President of the United States 
at the White House was, of course, one delivered to Presi- 
dent John Adams in November, 1800, soon after Mr. 
Adams had taken possession of the newly finished "President's 
House." It cost much money to send a letter any considerable 
distance in those days, so the number of letters received at the 
President's House was very insignificant as compared with the 
number that comes in every postbag to President Roosevelt 
to-day. 

With the construction of railways the mail of the Presidents 
began greatly to increase in size, of course, and with the com- 
ing of President Fillmore to the White House the number of 
letters received on a single day had grown to "over one hun- 
dred" as Mr. Fillmore said in a speech at the opening of the 
Erie Railroad. To-day the average number of letters received 
daily is over one thousand, while in the first months after the 
inauguration of a new President the letters received at the 
White House reaches the stupendous number of fifteen hundred. 
So vast is the Presidential mail to-day, indeed, that a special 
department has been created at the Washington Post Office, 
just to handle the White House letters, papers and packages. 
At least a dozen postal clerks are employed in the special depart- 
ments named merely to sort Mr. Roosevelt's enormous mail. 

How President Roosevelt's Mail is Handled 

All White House mail of to-day passes first through the 
hand of the Secretary to the President, Mr. William Loeb, Jr. 



168 Inside History of the White House 

He permits only letters of the first importance to reach the 
President. The mail is stupendous. After inauguration day 
in 1905 fully 1,500 letters a day reached Mr. Loeb's desk. The 
White House mail at any time is so enormous that the President 
cannot read one letter in ten and sometimes not one in a hun- 
dred. Mr. Loeb himself can read only a fraction of the mail. 
Often there are letters which Mr. Loeb would like the President 
to see, but even such letters are swamped in the mass of 
demands for office and for pensions, notes of warning and 
advice and requests of charity. In a single fortnight Mr. Loeb 
has opened letters containing requests for pecuniary aid to an 
amount exceeding that of the President's salary for a year. 

So huge is Mr. Roosevelt's mail in fact — so more than huge 
as compared with the mail received by any private individual in 
the country — that it is safe to assert that no other head of a 
Government anywhere on earth receives so many letters, news- 
papers and packages. We are told that Mr. Roosevelt's mail 
"comes from the four corners of the country, and from beyond 
the seven seas." Some write merely to assure the President that 
they "voted for him, and would like to vote for him again." 
Others break gently the news that they are in urgent need of a 
few dollars, and hope the President will come to their relief "by 
return mail," while a few pause a moment in their day's work 
to put the President right on some question of governmental 
policy. Out of this enormous mass of mail comes an occasional 
letter that the President himself sees and is sometimes glad to 
get. But this does not often happen. Most of the letters that 
are received "merely form part of the heavy burden" of work 
under which President Roosevelt's secretaries and clerks strug- 
gle day by day. 

President McKinley's Enormous Correspondence 

President McKinley received an average of one thousand 
letters daily. He insisted that every communication be read 
and respectfully answered within twenty- four hours. Probably 
not more than one-third of these letters came to his personal 




THE MODEL WHITE HOUSE KITCHEN 





THE PRESIDENT'S PRIVATE FAMILY DINING ROOM 



Letters and Gifts for the Presidents 171 

attention ; most of those which did were marked for his-perusal. 
His correspondence clerks were sometimes employed until 
eleven at night. 

President McKinley, indeed, received more letters than any 
former President. His acquaintance with men, public and pri- 
vate, was large, and he more than once invited expressions of 
the people's minds upon important affairs. 

Gifts Sent to the White House 

All the Presidents have been made the recipients of a great 
number of presents from admirers throughout the country. 
Not all of such presents have been accepted. Most Presidents 
have made it a rule to return all gifts received from strangers, 
on the ground that to accept gifts from utter strangers was to 
become saddled with obligations which might at some inoppor- 
tune moment confront a President to his extreme embarrass- 
ment. 

Where the donors have been known personally, however, or 
when the giver happened to be a foreign monarch, the gifts have 
usually been accepted. Thus President Roosevelt accepts 
annually a Thanksgiving turkey from a certain Southern gentle- 
man, because that gentleman is known to Mr. Roosevelt, and 
because he has been known to many of Mr. Roosevelt's pre- 
decessors. Thus also Arab horses from the Sultan of Turkey 
have been accepted by a President, as well as presents from the 
Mikado, the Czar, the Shah and the Kaiser. 

Huge cheeses were sent to Jefferson and Jackson. But Mr. 
Jefferson insisted upon paying fifty per cent, more than the 
value of the mammoth product of dairy. Lincoln accepted 
many gifts, but Johnson usually would have none of them. 
Jefferson declined valuable presents from a Tunisan envoy. 

Presents Received by Mr. Roosevelt 

The following facts relating to the remarkable number of 
presents sent to President Roosevelt are of particularly human 
interest : 



172 Inside History of the White House 

There come to the White House huge stacks of express 
packages, these being gifts of every conceivable character, 
from live guinea pigs to suspenders. "At last I feel I can 
afford two pairs of suspenders," said the President to Secretary 
Loeb when he first saw the suspenders. Yet the suspenders 
were returned to the donor along with other gifts galore. 

"The President regrets that he cannot accept the deer head 
you so kindly sent him, as he is obliged to adhere to his rule to 
accept no presents. The deer head, therefore, is returned to 
you to-day by express." Such in substance is the stereotyped 
signed by Mr. Loeb, a dozen or more of similar purport leaving 
the White House in the mail every working day. 

Despite the President's known aversion to receiving presents 
the express companies continue to deliver many gifts into Mr. 
Loeb's hands. Many of the gifts are sent anonymously, thereby 
making it impossible to return them promptly. The gifts 
include all sorts of firearms and other weapons, watches, chains,' 
scarfpins and other jewelry; sleeping bags, antlers, fur robes, 
bearskins, sets of harness, oil paintings, and no end of patent 
medicines and books and photographs of the President in 
costly frames. Barrels of fruit and other perishable foods are 
thrown away if Mr. Loeb does not know the sender's name. 
Even live animals — a Shetland pony, a Scotch collie, an Arabian 
stallion — may reach the White House. For humane reasons 
Mr. Loeb orders these anonymous living gifts fed until they 
can be transferred to the national zoological garden. 

One authority tells us that all mail "that looks bulky and 
fat, as if it consisted of a fancy sofa-pillow or a bundle of neck- 
ties, is returned to the senders. Around Thanksgiving and 
Christmas, thousands of such packages come. Some persons 
even send crated goats and other large boxes C. O. D., by 
express. The goats and things go back to their senders." 

Jackson, Grant and McKinley Received Strange Presents 

Honors of all kinds were thrust upon General Grant, during 
and after his term at the White House. While President, he 



Letters and Gifts for the Presidents 173 

received a carpet from the Sultan of Turkey as well as a silver 
coffee pot and a number of splendid leopard skins from the 
dons of Mexico. Meantime the people had given him a house, 
and had even asked him to accept gifts of money, all this in 
line with the universal honors that were showered upon him. 

' President McKinley received one of the most unique gifts 
ever sent to the White House. It was a curiosity of a class 
with the mammoth cheeses sent to Jefferson and Jackson. This 
unique gift reached Mr. McKinley in 1897 in the form of a 
huge prize watermelon from Georgia. It was nearly three 
feet long, weighed nearly eighty pounds, and was wrapped in 
a large American flag tied with white ribbons. It was pre- 
sented with ceremonies far beyond its importance, by Congress- 
man Livingstone, of Georgia, who assured the President, how- 
ever, that "no office-seeker is inclosed in yonder watermelon." 

President Jackson received so many gifts during his first 
weeks at the White House that he knew not where to store 
them, nor what to do with the more perishable of them. A 
newspaper account printed at the time (1829) says : 

"The General is not likely to lack stores for the maintenance 
of the Republican hospitality of the palace. His supplies are 
daily coming in from every quarter in the shape of voluntary 
and gratuitous tribute. A great cheese, for instance, has been 
sent to him from New England ; beef from New York ; and the 
Kentuckians, they say, are to send him 'a whole hog'." 

Mighty Cheeses at the President's House 

"The greatest cheese in America for the greatest man in 
America." 

This was the motto on the box containing the mammoth 
cheese sent to Thomas Jefferson at the White House on the first 
day of January, 1802. It was a gift from a number of foreign- 
born citizens of Pennsylvania, who sent it to the President in 
token of their appreciation of his annual message setting forth 
his views on naturalization. The cheese was made in West 
Chester, Massachusetts, and weighed 1,235 pounds. From 



174 Inside History oe the White House 

West Chester it was drawn to Washington in a wagon pulled 
by six horses, taking many weeks for the journey. When it 
reached the White House, ceremonies were held and Mr. Jef- 
ferson made a speech in which he said he would accept the 
cheese provided the donors would permit him to pay two hun- 
dred dollars for it, or fifty per cent, more than its market price. 

But Jefferson was not the only President to receive a huge 
cheese. Jackson also received a number of large cheeses, which 
were "set out" as a form of refreshment for White House 
guests. Andrew Jackson's cheese came from a dairyman 
named Meacham, of Sandy Creek, New York. At the White 
House reception on Washington's Birthday, this gift to Presi- 
dent Jackson had a conspicuous place, the incident being 
described by a chronicler of the day thus : 

"It had been officially given out that the President's man- 
sion would be thrown open to the people on this day, and that 
they would be entertained with a cheese, four feet in diameter,- 
two feet thick and weighing fourteen hundred pounds, a cheese 
which beats the great cheese that was made an offering to Mr. 
Jefferson, as the most appropriate present the farming class 
could tender to the President." 

This was in 1837. Two years later President Van Buren 
sold the last of Jackson's cheeses at public auction, the report 
of the sale (which was for charity), being as follows : 

"A cheese weighing 700 pounds is now at the store of Mr. 
William Orme, near the corner of Eleventh Street and Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue, where it will remain entire for one day, and will 
afterwards be sold in quantities to suit purchasers. It is from 
the dairy of Colonel Meachem of Orange County, New York, 
by whom it was presented two years ago to the President of the 
United States, and has been preserved with great care. Having 
been made expressly for the President and by a gentleman 
whose cheeses are in high repute, it may be supposed to be of 
the very best quality." 



CHAPTER XIV 
Employes and Clerical Staff 

THE White House staff of employes consists of more than 
forty men and women including the clerical force in the 
executive office, Mrs. Roosevelt's social secretary and 
three maids, the steward, the two butlers, the President's 
family cook (a white woman in the Roosevelt administration), 
the house cook and assistant, one pantry man, four cleaners, 
the gardener and his assistants, laundresses, firemen, watchmen, 
janitors, plumbers and electricians. All of these are paid for by 
the Government except the President's family cook and the 
white maids ; and the house servants are fed at his expense. 
Under President Roosevelt the State Dinners were placed in 
the hands of a caterer who supplied his own waiters. 

Among the White House employes are at least three who 
have served our Presidents for more than forty years. These 
are, first, Colonel William H. Crook, the disbursing officer, the 
man who attends to the payment of the employes in accordance 
with the regulations suggested in the foregoing paragraph; 
second, Captain Pendel, Chief Doorkeeper, who entered the 
White House when Lincoln was President; third, Charles D. 
Loeffler, Quartermaster-Major, retired, who has acted as 
Keeper of the President's private door for more than fifty 
years. (See chapter on "Later First Gentlemen," under "Gar- 
field's Social and Business Habits.) 

Colonel Crook, Paymaster 

Paymaster Crook's record is one of particular interest. He 
began as a bodyguard to Mr. Lincoln. About thirty days 



176 Inside History of the White House 

before the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, the President wrote 
Secretary of War Stanton the following significant note : 

"My man Crook has been drafted. I cannot spare him. 
Please fix. A. Lincoln, March 2, 1865." 

The matter was "fixed" of course, in accordance with the 
Mr. Lincoln's request and Colonel Crook from that time until 
now has never once been in any danger of being taken away 
from the White House. He proudly states the fact that he has 
been an adviser to ten Presidents and that hence, while his title 
of Colonel is wholly honorary, he deserves it. 

The method by which Colonel Crook pays the White House 
bills is interesting. He has an enormous check book filled 
with blank Treasury warrants, and on the first and fifteenth of 
each month he fills out as many warrants as are needed to meet 
the White House expenses so far as they relate to the payroll. 

Colonel Crook, then, pays everybody in the White House 
that is entitled to wages, including even the secretaries, though 
he does not, of course, pay the President. And it is worthy of 
mention that certain White House employes may draw their 
salaries at any time a month in advance if they so wish, the 
unwritten rule being that Colonel Crook shall pay them their 
wages upon such demand. 

In addition to his duties as paymaster, Colonel Crook is 
required to keep what is called the White House Scrapbooks. 
In a series of huge volumes the Colonel pastes all newspaper 
and magazine notices relating in any way to the President or 
to the Administration, regardless of whether such notices are 
friendly or hostile. Under the law any President, when he 
leaves the White House, may take with him the particular 
scrapbook containing notices of his own administration, but no 
Chief Executive has ever taken advantage of this privilege. 

Fifty Years in Government Service 
In July, 1908, Charles D. Loeffler, assistant doorkeeper at 
the White House, received an autograph letter from President 
Roosevelt congratulating him most cordially upon "living to 



Employes and Clerical Staff 177 

celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of entrance into Government 
service." Mr. Loeffler keeps the door to the President's pri- 
vate office. 

As Mr. Loefrler was retired as Quartermaster-Major of the 
United States Army, he retains the title of Major. It seems 
that although "more than seventy years old, the Major, whom 
every prominent politician in the country knows, looks to be 
no more than fifty-five or sixty, and is on duty every day in the 
ante-room just outside the office of the President. Theodore 
Roosevelt is the eighth President with whom Loefrler has had 
confidential relations, and, according to President Roosevelt's 
letter, he has proved himself a man worthy of trust." Major 
Loeffler enlisted in the celebrated Second Dragoons, now known 
as the Second Cavalry, at Baltimore, July 1, 1858. Robert E. 
Lee, afterward Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Armies 
was the Colonel of that organization and his nephew, Fitzhugh 
Lee, a Second Lieutenant. 

Captain Pendel's Forty Yeats as Doorkeeper 

At the time of the wedding of President Roosevelt's eldest 
daughter, Alice Roosevelt, to Congressman Longworth, visitors 
at the White House were shown around the Mansion by a gray- 
haired doorkeeper who told them most interesting stories of the 
wedding of Nellie Grant and Mr. Sartoris. The visitors mar- 
veled that the doorkeeper could relate such intimate details of 
the wedding in Grant's term, but marveled still more when the 
doorkeeper informed them that he had served in the White 
House ever since Lincoln's time. That doorkeeper was Cap- 
tain Thomas F. Pendel, who a few years ago wrote a story of 
his service under eight Presidents under the title of Thirty-Six 
Years in the White House. 

How Captain Pendel came to secure his post at the Presi- 
dent's house, is related in his own words as follows : 

"In 1861, or 1862, the Metropolitan Police was established 
by Congress at the Capital, and I made application for and 
received an appointment on the force. 



178 Inside History of the White House 

"On November 3, 1864, Sergeant John Cronin, Alfonso 
Dunn, Andrew Smith and myself were ordered to report at the 
First Precinct, in the old City Hall, at one o'clock in the after- 
noon. We supposed we were to be detailed for detective work 
in New York City on account of the great riot then on there, 
especially as we were ordered to report in citizens' clothes, to 
conceal our revolvers, and to be sure to have them all clean and 
in good order. We arrived at the City Hall, and then were 
told where we were to go, which was to the President's Man- 
sion, there to report to Marshal Lanham, at that time United 
States Marshal of the District of Columbia, and a bosom friend 
of Abraham Lincoln. 

"These were days that tried men's hearts, and women's, too. 
Men were falling at the front by hundreds, both in the Union 
and in the Confederate armies. There was weeping and 
mourning all over the land. Our nation was trembling with 
anxiety ; we were all hoping that the great strife was over or. 
soon to be. 

Marshal Landham took us upstairs and into the President's 
office, where we were introduced to him and to his two secre- 
taries, Mr. Nicolay and Mr. Hay, the latter now being Secre- 
tary of State. We were then instructed to keep a sharp look- 
out in the different parts of the house, more particularly in the 
East Room and at the door of the President's office. After we 
had been on duty about three days, Sergeant John Cronin came 
to me and said, 'Pendel, I want you to take my place near the 
President's office, and I will send your dinner to you'. I took 
his place, and he sent my dinner up to me, but I think that was 
the last duty on the force he ever performed. He had other 
business in the city. 

"On the first Sabbath morning, as nearly as I can remember, 
a few days after our going on duty and the occurrences with 
Cronin which resulted in his leaving. It being the first Sab- 
bath we were on duty at the White House, we were in a little 
waiting room on the right hand side of the stairs. This room 
is now sometimes used by the President as a smoking room, and 



Employes and Clerical, Staff 179 

also as a reception room for those calling on the President and 
his family socially. Where the elevator now is used to be a pair 
of little old-fashioned stairs. You would go up a few steps 
and come to a landing ; up a few more steps and another land- 
ing, and so on. This was a favorite stairway of Mr. Lincoln's, 
for he used it more than any other in the house. When he 
came downstairs that Sunday morning we were all chatting, 
and by 'we' I mean Edward Burke, his old coachman, Edward 
McManus, Alfonso Dunn and myself. When Mr. Lincoln 
came into the room he said, 'Which one of you gentlemen will 
take a walk with me as far as Secretary Stanton's house ? He 
is sick in bed and I want to see him'. I immediately arose and 
said 'Mr. President, I will walk with you'. After we had 
passed out of the front door and were still on the main portico, 
but out of the hearing of any one, the President said to me, 'I 
have received a great many threatening letters, but I have no 
fear of them'. I said, 'Mr. President, because a man does not 
fear a thing is no reason why it should not occur'. He replied, 
'That is a fact'. 

"After we got off the portico, going east, I said, 'Mr. Presi- 
dent, there has been many a good, brave man who has lost his 
life simply because he did not fear'. Then he remarked in a 
thoughtful way, 'That is so ; that is so'." 

After Lincoln came President Johnson, to whom Captain 
Pendel refers thus : 

"President Johnson was a very generous man. He used to 
have a table set in the room which is now used by the steward, 
and here meals were prepared, and the doorkeepers and the 
help about the house did not have to go out to luncheon. No 
other President ever did this to my knowledge, either before or 
since the time of Mr. Johnson." 

And after a lapse of more than thirty years, during which 
period he was rarely absent from his post, it is interesting to 
read Captain Pendel's comments upon the advent of President 
Roosevelt at the White House : 

"When the people began to recover from the sad events that 



180 Inside History oe the White House 

had transpired, they began to call on President Roosevelt. He 
has been a very busy man ever since he entered upon his duties. 
I would term him a great President and his wife a great lady, 
perfectly plain, matter-of-fact persons. Both he and she always 
have a kind salutation for those who are connected with the 
White House, but that he has had some friends to luncheon 
with him, and quite a number of private dinners. He seems to 
be very popular." 

Chief Messenger and Chief Intelligence Officer 

Other White House standbys, besides Paymaster Crook and 
Doorkeepers Pendel and Loeffler, were Mr. O. L. Pruden, the 
Assistant Secretary, and Mr. Benjamin F. Montgomery, Tele- 
grapher and "Chief Intelligence Officer." These titles were 
more or less arbitrary, and were not at all official, the duties of 
these two White House attaches being to perform whatever was 
required of them in a clerical way. 

Mr. Pruden came to the White House when Grant was the 
tenant. He was then a mere boy in the uniform of the United 
States Army, having been transferred to duty at the Executive 
Mansion from the War Department. He was an excellent pen- 
man, and this accomplishment served to secure him the post in 
the President's House on the clerical staff. It was his duty to 
record all appointments, commissions and pardons made and 
granted by the Presidents. When Mr. Pruden died, his place 
was taken by the present Mr. Forster. 

Mr. Pruden had a peculiar sobriquet — the "Sphinx of the 
White House." He gained this nickname because of his extra- 
ordinary reticence in all matters relating to official business. 

The former Intelligence Officer of the Executive Mansion, 
Mr. Benjamin F. Montgomery, had charge of the War Room in 
the Executive Mansion under President McKinley, and it was 
then that he acquired the arbitrary title of Intelligence Officer. 
The War Room was at that time the most extraordinary bureau 
of information in the world, being connected by telegraph with 
all parts of the globe. 



Employes' and Clerical Staff 181 

Mr. Montgomery was officially a telegrapher, and as such 
was at work in the War Room, when the Spanish War began. 
He went to work as a telegrapher in the White House when 
President Hayes first entered the official home of the nation's 
Chief Magistrate. President McKinley so valued the services 
of Mr. Montgomery that he made him a Captain in the Signal 
Corps of the Army and later promoted him to be Lieutenant- 
Colonel. He is now on the retired list, and his place is filled 
by Mr. Smithers. 

Duties of the Stewards 

The White House Steward is the virtual autocrat of the 
official table and cuisine at the President's house. In con- 
temporaneous accounts of the stewardship at the White House 
the following facts are set forth : 

"Almost every question governing the State dinners is 
within the control of the steward of the White House, who is 
in a position to be very arbitrary if he chooses. Even the Presi- 
dent's wife has very little to say about the culinary department 
of household affairs. The steward receives, for carrying the 
responsibility of the entire household equipment, the salary of 
$1,800 per annum, and he is very heavily bonded. Moreover, 
this supervision of all the details of the household is no sinecure, 
for an account must be rendered of every dish or utensil, broken, 
or worn out, and no piece of broken glass or china can be 
destroyed except upon the order of the Superintendent of Pub- 
lic Buildings and Grounds. The present steward is the embodi- 
ment of discretion in the matters pertaining to his official 
duties." 

The Corps of Waiters 

All the waiters at the White House are hired by the steward 
and sometimes their name is legion. At State Dinners, espe- 
cially, many extra men are brought into requisition and the 
force is drilled as carefully as a company of soldiers. A Wash- 
ington reporter who visited the White House to acquaint him- 
self with the facts relating to the employes, has this to say about 
the waiters : 



182 Inside History of the White House 

"A score of waiters are employed by the steward or the 
caterer to serve the State dinners. The waiters are usually 
colored men, though under the Harrison administration, 
Steward McKim chose white waiters in preference. This unique 
departure has not been followed on all occasions by his succes- 
sors. The waiters are not chosen lightly. There are numer- 
ous temptations in their way. Only men whose honesty and 
sobriety is beyond all question are employed. They are called 
upon for similar service from time to time, and find the employ- 
ment pleasant and remunerative. They are required to report 
at the White House late on the afternoon of the State dinner, 
and are divided into squads and are thoroughly drilled in the 
part each is to play in the evening's entertainment. 

"Each waiter is supposed to serve four or five guests. He 
receives the dishes from the carvers so adroitly carved that 
though the form of the roast or fowl is preserved the guest can 
readily separate a portion. He watches closely to the needs 
of the guests under his charge. The President and his wife are 
served by their personal servant. The White House dinners 
are served ideally, for the waiters are not mere machines, but 
men of judgment and action. For their four to five hours' 
work they are paid $3 or $4, and this, in connection with the 
natural prestige of a waiter who serves at the White House, 
brings to the steward or caterer the best assistance the city 
affords." 



CHAPTER XV 
Secret Service and Military Aides 

WHILE foreign rulers are surrounded at all times by- 
bodyguards, our own Presidents are attended on all 
public occasions, and on even many private occasions, 
by detectives in plain clothes who are known as Secret Service 
men — members of the Bureau of Secret Service detailed for the 
purpose. In addition, the White House itself has its guards 
in the form of policemen from the regular Washington Police 
Force, and several of these have been on duty at the President's 
Mansion for a number of years. 

The actual number of Secret Service guards in attendance 
upon the President is never made public. But certain it is that 
at all receptions a number of such guards are on duty within the 
house, while several more are stationed outside. The Presi- 
dent never steps outside the White House, never travels even 
the shortest distance, without being followed by one or more 
officers of the Secret Service. Sometimes the Secret Service 
men attend also the family members of President Roosevelt, 
one of the guards often taking the younger Roosevelts to school 
in the morning and bringing them home in the evening. 

Within the last two years the Secret Service men have exer- 
cised more than usual care in guarding the President. That 
Mr. Roosevelt receives many threatening letters is admitted 
by friends of the family, and the constant fear that her hus- 
band will be assassinated is said to be one of the reasons, if not 
the principal reason, that Mrs. Roosevelt pleaded successfully 
with Mr. Roosevelt not to accept a third term. 

Before the visitor enters the entrance hall or reception room 



184 Inside History oe the White House 

at the White House, he is quietly but carefully scrutinized by 
not only the doorkeeper, but some of the Secret Service men 
who are continually on duty. He may not be aware of the 
inspection, but it is made in every case. 

Each President has had his own ideas regarding the atten- 
dance of Secret Service men. Mr. Arthur, for example, was 
not afraid of assassination, though perhaps he had more reason 
to be afraid of it than any other President because of the killing 
of Garfield. Mr. Hayes walked about Washington without 
fear, and General Grant was a very familiar figure on F Street 
during the two Grant administrations. 

Guards at the New Year's Reception 

At the great public reception held at the White House on 
the first day of each new year, the number of guards, in the 
persons of policemen and Secret Service men, is more than 
quadrupled. Every step of the way of each caller, while he is- 
in the mansion, is guarded, though the caller may not be aware 
that he is being watched. 

One requirement is that each and every one in the great 
throng that surges through the building shall keep both hands 
always in sight. Each caller must keep his hands out of his 
pockets, he may carry no bundle nor package, nor is he per- 
mitted to cover his hand with a handkerchief or by any other 
means on pretext of a wound or anything of that sort. This 
requirement has been most rigidly enforced ever since the 
assassination of President McKinley, because on that oc- 
casion the assas'sin carried a pistol concealed under a 
handkerchief. 

A most enlightening description of the ways and means of 
the Secret Service men at the New Year's Reception is given 
in Pearson's Magazine, thus : 

"From beginning to end of the reception, the police are 
always with you. Outside, the mounted policemen keep the 
carriages in line. A squad stand in front of the gates less the 
crowd might climb over the ten-foot pickets. Two muscular 



Secret Service and Military Aides 185 

ones swing the turnstile door at the entrance to the colonnade. 
Along the corridor they form living portraits between the paint- 
ings of the Presidents' wives. At the head and foot of the 
stairs are two or three extra strong men to prevent from being 
trampled upon any one who might fall. 

• "All the way from the head of the stairs around to the East 
Room they are as 'thick as hops', as the old farmer would say — 
human guide posts, who speak only to tell you to keep off the 
carpet in the centre of the rooms and to stay in line. About 
the most important personage at the reception is the lieutenant 
of police. In his gorgeous uniform he stands at the head of the 
stairway, and keeps the human current flowing in the right 
direction. The fifty or seventy-five officers in and around the 
White House are sent to keep order, just as they would be sent 
to quell a mob. The men inside, of course, are hatless and 
clubless; but ther hands are covered with the white service 
gloves, and, standing like statues, they look as if 'lined up' for 
morning inspection by the chief. 

"Keep the hands in view. It is the rigid rule of the 
White House. If one happens to be in the pocket or under 
the coat-tails, you may get a whispered hint to take it out. 
Looking up, you see a keen-eyed, smooth-faced man at your 
side. Darting in and out among the crowd are a dozen Secret 
Service men. Instinctively, they scan the faces with the stare 
of the detective. 

"But it is just as well that every one who comes in is care- 
fully looked over perhaps two or three times before he or she 
reaches the President. Congressmen have a habit of giving 
cards of admission to Tom, Dick and Harry, and it would not be 
a difficult matter for some fanatic to get one of these, and, 
donning the full-dress garb, mingle with the throng for the 
purpose of making trouble. As each one comes within a foot 
of the President when he reaches the receiving line, a weapon 
which might be concealed in the palm of the hand could do 
execution. No one knows this better than the Secret Serv- 
ice men." 



1 86 Inside History oe the White House 

How Harrison and Cleveland "Were "Secret Serviced" 

In Mr. Cleveland's first administration he received com- 
paratively few threatening letters and hence he did not increase 
the White House force of guards. During his second adminis- 
tration, however, he received so many letters of a threatening 
character that Mrs. Cleveland became alarmed for her hus- 
band's safety and prevailed upon him to augment the force of 
Secret Service men. 

The result was that in 1895 the corps of guards at the 
White House was increased to twenty-seven where before there 
had been only three or four. Of policemen alone there were 
twenty-five patrolmen and two sergeants, and sentry boxes 
were seen in many places on the White House grounds. Four 
or five policemen were stationed at the portico, or main 
entrance of the building, and others were stationed within 
as long as any strangers were present. The newspapers of 
the time said : 

"Mr. Cleveland not only keeps off the sidewalks, but seldom 
goes driving, and when he is seen abroad in one of the White 
House carriages, he is under the protection of two detectives, 
who follow him in another vehicle. 

"Mr. Harrison, on the other hand, was a devoted pedestrian 
and he was a very familiar figure on the streets of Washington. 
Sometimes he walked in the afternoon accompanied by his 
stenographer, Mr. Tibbott. Sometimes he took a stroll at night 
in the company of his private secretary, Mr. Halford. Occa- 
sionally he went out accompanied only by his little grandson. 
He was a frequent visitor to the White Lot, or park, just in 
front of the Executive Mansion. On all of these excursions Mr. 
Harrison was entirely without protection. He was not afraid 
of being assassinated, and he showed this very plainly when he 
came downstairs one night and helped to bind a drunken man 
who had broken into the White House. Mr. Harrison was 
guarded, as all of the Presidents have been, at the public recep- 
tions at the White House. But he asked no special protection 
when he walked the streets." 



Secret Service and Military Aides 189 

The White House Military Aides 

In attendance upon the President, at all receptions and on 
all State occasions are five military and naval aides — four from 
the army and one from the navy. To be detailed to the post of 
aide to the President is indeed one of the pleasantest duties that 
young army or navy officers are required to undertake. Their 
duties are purely social, yet owing to tha. great number of vis- 
itors at the White House and the many functions that take 
place there, the young aides find busy times when they discover 
that their posts are no sinecures. 

In commenting upon the presence of aides at receptions at 
the White House — aides always resplendent in the full dress of 
their branch of service — a visitor at the White House, who was 
also a magazine writer, says : 

"The President is pretty well hemmed in, for at his left 
stands a gold-braided West Pointer (an aide), while opposite is 
a row of officers (more aides), whose principal duty is to stand 
at dress parade, eyes front, and receive the awe and admiration 
of the people. But their duty is to stay here and face the ladies 
of the Cabinet. Perhaps they may get tired of looking straight 
into their faces or at the wall behind, but they are the military 
side and form part of the living picture which the public goes 
to see." 

Among the young officers who have acted as aides to Presi- 
dent Roosevelt are many whose names are familiar ones in the 
history of our country. Only a year or two ago four of the mili- 
tary aides at the White House were either sons or grandsons 
of men whom history honors. 

There was General Grant's grandson, Lieutenant Ulysses S. 
Grant ; and Captain Guy V. Henry, whose work in the Spanish- 
American War made him famous ; and Captain Fitzhugh Lee, 
a son of General Fitzhugh Lee and a great-grandson of "Light- 
horse" Harry Lee ; and Lieutenant Philip H. Sheridan, son of 
the late Civil War hero, General Sheridan. 



CHAPTER XVI 
Presidential Messages and Cabinets 

NO STORY of the White House would be complete with- 
out some mention of the President's official family, the 
Cabinet. And as the members of the Cabinet are the 
President's official advisers, and, therefore, have much to do 
with the messages of the Chief Executive, a few facts of interest 
relating to Presidential messages and proclamations are 
included in this chapter. 

At the White House a room has always been set aside for 
the exclusive use of the members of the Cabinet and hence its 
name, Cabinet Room. In this room all Cabinet meetings have 
been held since John Adams first took possession of the original 
President's House. The room has not always been the same 
one, for with each administration some change has been made, 
until, before the restoration of the White House in 1902, it 
might have been said that nearly every room in the mansion had 
served at some time or other as the meeting place of the Cab- 
inet. Such meetings have for many administrations been held 
usually on the mornings of Tuesday and Friday of each week 
when the President was in Washington. 

To the Cabinet Room at the White House have come many 
men of highest distinction in the country's history. The Secre- 
taries of State alone include several very great men each of 
whom afterward became President of the United States, as, for 
example, Thomas Jefferson (under Washington) ; James Madi- 
son (under Jefferson) ; James Monroe (under Madison) ; John 
Quincy Adams (under Monroe) ; Martin Van Buren (under 
Jackson), and James Buchanan (under Polk). Other distin- 



Presidential Messages and Cabinets 191 

guished Secretaries of State include John Hay (under McKin- 
ley) ; Daniel Webster (under W. H. Harrison) ; John C. Cal- 
houn (under Tyler), and James G. Blaine (under Garfield). 

In the Cabinet Room with President Roosevelt 

• The Cabinet Room in the present White House, located in 
what is known as the Temporary Executive Offices, is a large 
room in the east side of the office building. It is connected with 
the President's private office by means of sliding doors. Large 
as the room is, it is nearly filled with merely the furniture neces- 
sary to the comfortable conduct of the Cabinet meetings, such as 
a huge table and a dozen or more chairs. On each of. nine of 
those chairs is a silver name-plate and the men who fill the nine 
chairs assigned to Mr. Roosevelt's Cabinet are as follows : 

Secretary of State — Elihu Root, of New York. Secretary 
of the Treasury — George B. Cortelyou, of New York. Secre- 
tary of War — Luke E. Wright, of Tennessee. Attorney- 
General — Charles J. Bonaparte, of Maryland. Postmaster- 
General — George von L. Meyer, of Massachusetts. Secretary 
of the Navy — Victor H. Metcalf, of California. Secretary of 
Interior — James R. Garfield, of Ohio. Secretary of Agricul- 
ture — James Wilson, of Iowa. Secretary of Commerce and 
Labor — Oscar S. Strauss. 

In addition to these official advisers, Mr. Roosevelt has 
unofficial advisers among whom are three or four young men 
prominent in the work of the administration, including the few 
who play tennis with the President. From this fact has been 
evolved what has become known as the "Tennis Court Cabinet," 
consisting of Mr. Gifford Pinchot, United States Forester; 
Assistant Secretary of State Robert Bacon, and Secretary of 
the Interior Garfield (a son of the martyred President, James 
A.Garfield). 

Just how President Roosevelt receives callers in the Cabinet 
Room where, it should be added, prominent visitors to the 
White House are received, is told by Mr. William Bayard Hale, 
in the New York Times; 



192 Inside History of the White House 

"Here, in the cabinet room, those who call to see the Presi- 
dent are usually received by him, from 10 A.M. to 1 :30 P.M. 
Between ten and twelve senators and representatives have the 
entree without the need of an appointment. Others must make 
an appointment with Secretary Loeb. Sometimes a score of 
people will be in the Cabinet room at one time, and the Presi- 
dent goes from one to another, making the circle of the room 
half a dozen times in a morning, always speaking with great 
animation, gesturing freely, and in fact talking 'with his whole 
being, mouth, eyes, forehead, cheeks and neck all taking their 
mobile parts'. He stands for the most part as rigid as a soldier 
on parade, chin in, chest out, the line from the back of the head 
falling straight as a plumb-line to the heels. 'Never for a 
moment while he is on his feet does that line so much as waver, 
that neck unbend'. When the President sits, it may be on the 
divan or on the Cabinet table, he is very much at his ease, and 
half the time one foot is curled up under him. Curiously, 
whenever he tucks one foot under him his visitor is very likely 
to do the same thing. 

"A hundred times a day the President will laugh, and when 
he laughs he does it with the same energy with which he talks. 
It is usually a roar of laughter, and it comes nearly every five 
minutes. His face grows red with merriment, his eyes nearly 
close, his utterance becomes choked and sputteryand falsetto, 
and sometimes he doubles up with the paroxysm. You don't 
smile with Mr. Roosevelt ; you shout with laughter with him, 
and then you shout again while he tries to cork up more laugh 
and sputters ; 'Come gentlemen, let us be serious'." 

Cleveland's Official Family 

The attitude of President Cleveland toward the members of 
his Cabinet is told by Mr. Hillary A. Herbert, who was Secre- 
tary of the Navy at the time. Mr. Herbert informs us that : 

"Mr. Cleveland's demeanor toward his Cabinet was always 
kind and deferential. I look back upon the Cabinet meetings 
as among the most pleasant of the many pleasant hours of my 



Presidential Messages and Cabinets 193 

public life. They were exceedingly informal. Usually, when 
business was not pressing, the Cabinet exchanged social ondits 
of the day, and even a good story was told by one or another of 
those present. Mr. Cleveland himself not only appreciated a 
good story, but frequently had one of his own to tell. When 
he had questions of importance to put before the Cabinet he 
stated them in an informal way and remarked that he wanted 
to take the views of the gentlemen present. Such members of 
the Cabinet as desired to do so expressed their opinions. 

"As a rule, Mr. Cleveland did not give his own judgment in 
putting questions before the Cabinet, though sometimes he did. 
Other members of the Cabinet will remember that it was often 
the case that Mr. Cleveland changed his mind after he had pro- 
posed a question for discussion. He never took a formal vote. 
But frequently he required every one of his advisers to give 
his opinion. A method which he pursued was to call a member 
by name: 'Mr. Secretary Morton', he would exclaim, 'what 
have you to say about this'? Obtaining Mr. Morton's view. 
He would pass to the next member. According to my recollec- 
tion he had a regular rule of rotation in this. Very often he 
asked first the opinion of the member of the Cabinet within 
whose jurisdiction the question under discussion came. Now 
and then he would say that Mr. So-and-So thinks thus about 
this question. 'What do you other gentlemen think' ?" 

Andrew Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet" 

The most remarkable of all the Cabinets of the Presidents 
were those formed and reformed under President Andrew 
Jackson. The word Cabinet, in "Old Hickory's" time was not 
used in the singular, because, during his administration, he 
called together and dismissed some five or six different bodies 
of the kind. Andrew Jackson was a President who insisted 
upon having his own way, and when a Cabinet Minister did not 
thoroughly agree with his ideas he dismissed that man and 
called another to take his place. During his term at the White 
House, therefore, President Jackson had five different Secre- 



194 Inside; History of the White House 

taries of the Treasury, four different Secretaries of State, 
three Secretaries of War, three Attorney-Generals and two 
Postmaster-Generals. 

Even then it is said that President Jackson did not rely 
solely on the counsels of his official advisers, but consulted on 
many occasions a number of his friends who were not in official 
life. From this habit of his came the term "Kitchen Cabinet," 
applied to the group of men, including the famous Amos Ken- 
dall (one of Jackson's Postmasters-General), who were known 
as the President's unofficial counsellors. 



CHAPTER XVH 
Public and Private Rooms 

COMPARING the White House to a human being, the 
building itself may be said to be the body, while the home 
within is the soul. The tangible and visible soul of the 
White House, therefor, consists of the rooms and the furniture 
therein, together with the decorations, bric-a-brac and so on, all 
of which are a part of the home as established by the lady or 
ladies of the Presidents' families. 

In the twenty-six administrations that have begun and ended 
during the one hundred years of the existence of the White 
House, the furniture has been changed from time to time, each 
change depending upon the tastes of the "First Lady" and 
"First Gentleman." Congress makes an appropriation at the 
beginning of each new administration, out of which the new 
occupants of the White House may buy new furniture or repair 
old furniture, to suit their convenience. 

To the public the best known rooms in the mansion are the 
East Room, and the Blue, Red and Green Parlors. The famous 
East Room is the one into which most daily visitors are ushered, 
and hence this room, more than any other in the house, is the 
one with which the public is familiar. The Blue, Red and 
Green Parlors — known as the State Suite — are not open to the 
public, and hence these rooms are generally known only through 
descriptions given in the press. 

Mrs. John Adams used the East Room in her day "hanging 
up the clothes to dry." It was not till Jackson's term that this 
room was completed and furnished, Jackson's furniture 
expense bill being larger than that of any of his predecessors or 



196 Inside History of the White House 

successors for many years before and after, all because of the 
furnishing, at last, of the one great room to which the public 
was admitted. 

The Blue, Red and Green Rooms, have been refurnished 
from time to time, and have even changed their names by a 
"shuffling" process by which, on one or two occasions, the Blue 
Parlor has become the Red Parlor. On the whole, however, 
the furnishing of these rooms has been in the color from which 
they originally derived their names. 

In this chapter are given the facts relating to the various 
changes in rooms and furniture in the White House during 
various periods, the description including both the public and 
the private apartments of the Presidential families. 

The Famous East Room 

Many of the important events in the history of the White 
House have taken place in its best known apartment, the far- 
famed East Room, the largest room in the mansion. When the 
Adamses took possession of the Executive Mansion the east 
side of the building was not finished, and it is related in previous 
chapters of the present work that Mrs. Adams was wont to 
dry her washing in the East Room when the inclement weather 
prevented the use of the yard. "This now famous room," says 
a Leslie's Weekly correspondent, "was not furnished until Mon- 
roe's term. Then a trip to Paris resulted in the purchase of its 
furniture and ornaments. When Monroe's daughter, Maria, 
was united to Samuel L. Gouverneur, of New York, the East 
Room was opened to the public for the first time. Thus the 
room was dedicated to Hymen." 

Up to the time of the restoration of the White House under 
Roosevelt, the vast East Room, then used principally as a recep- 
tion room, was frequently described as "bare but impres- 
sive." To-day it is finished luxuriously and more taste- 
fully than ever before, and although it contains simply the grand 
piano, the banquettes, the four bronze Roman standards bear- 
ing the electric lights, and the handsome window draperies, yet 



Public and Private; Rooms 197 

it by no means seems bare. Its own beauty is furniture suf- 
ficient. 

The most authoritative report on this famous room as it is 
now, is contained in the report of the architects who refurnished 
and redecorated it in 1902, thus : 

"The walls of the East Room are covered with wood panel- 
ing, enameled ; the ornamental ceiling is done in stucco, and set 
in the walls are twelve low relief panels by Piccirilli Brothers, 
sculptors, the subjects being taken from ^Esop's fables. On 
each of the east and west sides of the room are two mantels of 
colored marble, with mirrors over them and candelabra on the 
shelves. Three crystal chandeliers form constituent parts of 
the decoration, as do also the four bronze standards bearing 
electric lights, which are placed at the four corners of the room. 
The window draperies are of heavy yellow silk damask ; the 
banquettes are gilded and carved and are covered with silk 
velours, and there are four new console tables with marble tops. 
In this room, as in the other rooms on the drawing-room floor 
(except in the hall, where stone is used), hardwood floors have 
been laid, and wainscots have been introduced, of which the 
lower member has been made of marble of suitable color. The 
concert grand piano, decorated by Dewing, is the gift of the 
makers." 

The Blue Room 

As far as Van Buren's time the Blue Room was an apart- 
ment of general interest, and was described as "one of the most 
beautiful rooms in America." From one account of this room 
that appeared in Van Buren's term, we find the remarks : 

"Let us take a view of what is, the present day, called the 
'Blue Elliptical Saloon', though in former times it was known 
as the 'Green Circular Parlor'. This apartment is nearly oval 
in form, and is forty feet long by thirty wide. In its beautiful 
shape, rich French furniture, showy drapery, costly gilded 
ornaments, and general arrangements the 'Blue Elliptical 
Saloon has frequently been pronounced the choicest room in 
the palace." 



198 Inside History of the White House 

As for the Blue Room of to-day, we again give facts from 
the official reports of the architects who "made it over" six 
years ago : 

Rarely beautiful in its proportions, the Blue Room has been 
made notable by the events that have taken place within its 
walls ; and in the changes particular emphasis has been placed 
on this room. The mantel is of pure white marble, the shelf 
being supported on bundles of arrows carved in white marble 
with bronze tips and feathers; the wainscoting is in white 
enamel ; the wall covering is of heavy, corded blue silk, on 
which is embroidered at top and bottom the Grecian fret; the 
curtain hangings, of the same material as the wall covering, are 
embroidered with stars, and the curtain poles are surmounted 
by gild eagles. The Grecian fret appears also in the ceiling. 
The furniture is in white and gold, upholstered in blue and gold. 

Blind doors have been cut in the walls near the southern 
end of the room, and at receptions the guests coming from the 
Red Room pass the receiving party standing in a single line 
directly in front of the windows. The guests especially invited 
to share the Blue Room with the receiving party now face the 
President instead of being at his back as formerly, and a silken 
cord stretched across the room from door to door insures free- 
dom of passage for the guests while being presented. 

The Red and Green Rooms 

It was in the Red Room that President Hayes took the oath 
of office, on the Saturday evening preceding the fourth of 
March, the regular inauguration falling on Sunday and the 
President's advisers suggesting that he take the oath in advance 
instead of waiting till Monday. Just what the Red Room 
looked like on the night that oath was taken, the only Presiden- 
tial oath taken actually within the White House, appears in the 
following sketch by a writer of that day : 

"The Red Parlor in which the ceremony took place is the 
room which has been used by Mrs. Grant as a private reception 
room, and has only been thrown open to the public on reception 



Public anp Private Rooms 199 

days and evenings. It is situated on the ground-floor, on the 
west side of the Executive Mansion, between the banquet hall 
and the violet blue parlor, and communicates with both. The 
room has recently been furnished in a style known to upholster- 
ers as the English version of the Queen Anne. Many of the 
ornaments about the room suggest historical reminiscences. 
On the mantel there is a large gilt clock, representing the resi- 
dence of Franklin at the suburban resort of Passy, near Paris. 
Beside it are two rare Meudon vases. A notable feature of the 
decoration of the room is a large electrotype copy of the Milton 
shield, modeled by Morrell, the original of which is in repousse 
work in iron and silver. The copy was purchased by Mrs. 
Grant at the Centennial Exhibition. The notable features of 
the other furniture of the room are two small Japanese cabinets, 
a gift from the Japanese Minister. 

The Red Room of to-day is described in the official report, 
thus : 

"The changes made in the State Dining Room (in 1902) 
necessitated the removal of the two marble mantels that are 
contemporary with the house itself. Exquisitely carved in 
London and imported with others purchased for the Capitol, 
these mantels were almost the only historic furnishings in the 
White House at the time when the restoration began. Too 
small for the spaces where they were placed, they now become 
the chief ornaments of the Red and the Green rooms, respect- 
ively. The wainscoting of the Red Room is in white enamel, 
and there is a new cornice. The wall covering and the curtains 
of red velvet, and the furniture is upholstered in red damask. 
There is a crystal chandelier and side lights; new andirons, a 
new mirror between the windows, and an antique rug. 

"Concerning the Green Room of the present day it may be 
said that the wall covering and curtains of green velvet are 
copied from an old piece of Genoese velvet ; the marble console 
table shares with the mantel the distinction of age and grace; 
the furniture — upholstered in tapestry — the rug, the mirror, the 
andirons, the crystal chandelier and side lights, all are new." 



200 Inside; History of the White House 

The State Dining Room 

Since the restoration of the White House in 1902, the State 
Dining Room is more beautiful than ever in its history. Here 
are eight silver electric side-lights and a magnificent central 
chandelier of the same precious metal. Two mahogany dining- 
tables are used — one for the family for luncheon and private 
meals, and both tables for State Dinners and other formal 
meals, the two tables being then joined together to form a 
single board. 

The chairs in this room match the tables in respect to mate- 
rial, these being of mahogany, with upholstery in dark green. 
Occasionally, instead of joining the two tables together as 
mentioned, a crescent-shaped table is formed, particularly for 
State dinners. 

From the architects' report to the President on the redeco- 
rating and refurnishing of the State Dining-room, we gain an 
excellent idea of its present appointments, thus : 

"By removing the partition and including the western end of 
the corridor, the State Dining Room has been enlarged by over 
sixty per cent., and instead of accommodating, as formerly, 
between fifty and sixty guests at table, one hundred and seven 
can now be seated comfortably. A stone chimneypiece, with an 
antique fire set, has been added. The walls are paneled from 
floor to ceiling in oak, richly carved; the chandelier and wall 
branches are of silver, and heads of American game are used 
around the frieze. The ceiling, in stucco, is elaborately deco- 
rated. There is an India carpet in solid color; the tables and 
sideboards are of mahogany, and the chairs are upholstered in 
tapestry. The draperies are in green velvet. Two tapestries, 
one bearing a text from Virgil's VIII. Eclogue, are of Flemish 
workmanship of the seventeenth century." 

The Roosevelt Bedrooms 

The private apartments of President Roosevelt and his fam- 
ily now comprise the whole of the second floor. Mr. Roose- 
velt's bedroom is the one known as the "Prince of Wales 



Public and Private Rooms 201 

Room." When the Prince of Wales used this room, it was not 
connected with either bath or dressing-room. To-day, bath 
and dressing-room are adjuncts of this famous bedroom. 

Day Allan Willey says that "while the President devotes 
much time to his family and, as is well known, believes in taking 
a liberal amount of recreation, some of his most enjoyable hours 
are spent in the quiet of his bedroom, for before retiring he fre- 
quently forgets the cares of the day in a volume of one of his 
favorite authors, or between the pages of some magazine. He 
does more reading for pleasure in this apartment than in any 
other, for the reason that it is one of the few places where he 
can obtain the quiet which he so greatly covets. At his special 
request when the White House was renovated, his room was 
left practically undisturbed. It contains the massively carved 
furniture which has been a part of the White House belongings 
for many years, even the student lamp being of an old-fashioned 
pattern." 

Private Dining-Room and Library 

A vaulted ceiling and wall paneling in plaster, a new marble 
mantel, a wainscoting in white enamel, a mirror copied from 
one belonging to the early White House period, a mahogany 
table, chairs and sideboard, all made from special designs, are 
features of the Roosevelt private dining-room of to-day. 

To Mrs. Fillmore, says an authority, writing in The Chris- 
tian Herald, the Executive Mansion owes its first library. 
The place was almost devoid of books when she went there; 
influenced by her, Mr. Fillmore asked Congress for the neces- 
sary appropriation and forthwith a big, pleasant room was fur- 
nished with good books. 

President Cleveland, while in the White House, gathered a 
superb collection of children's books, some of which are still on 
the shelves in the library of the White House. 

Further details relating to the library of to-day, which is 
used by President Roosevelt's family as a living-room are con- 
tained in Chapter Two. 



202 Inside History oe the White House 

Cost of Furniture and a Historic Desk 

Each new President, as already explained, may refurnish 
such rooms as need to be modernized and refitted. This duty 
usually falls to the lot of the mistress of the Mansion, whether 
she be wife or sister or niece of the President. Congress prac- 
tically says to such lady, "You may do what you please with the 
furniture, so long as you keep the expense within the sum 
appropriated for the purpose." 

Andrew Jackson, way back in the very early days of the 
Republic, attracted some attention by denouncing as "extrava- 
gant" a bill to spend $14,000 in furniture for the White House. 

Yet strangely enough it fell to Andrew Jackson's lot, when 
he became the master of the mansion, to spend a larger sum for 
furniture than any of the Presidents down to Civil War times. 
* The amount of money spent by Jackson ($40,000 for his two 
terms) was every penny of it necessary, owing to the general 
desire to have the East Room furnished and decorated, in a way 
that would at last do justice to the most important dwelling in 
the country. 

In the President's Room in the White House to-day, stands 
a massive oaken desk of beautiful design. It was made from 
timbers of H. M. S. Resolute, and has an interesting history. 

The inscription on this desk reads : 

"Her Majesty's ship Resolute, forming part of the expedi- 
tion sent in search of Sir John Franklin in 1852, was abandoned 
in latitude 74 41' north, longitude 101 22' west on May 15, 
1854. She was discovered and extricated in September, 1855, 
in latitude 6y° north, by Captain Buddington of the United 
States Whaler George Henry. The ship was purchased, fitted 
out and sent to England as a gift to Her Majesty Queen Vic- 
toria, by the President and people of the United States as a 
token of good-will and friendship. This table was made from 
her timbers when she was broken up, and is presented by the 
Queen of Great Britain and Ireland to the President of the 
United States, as a memorial of the courtesy and loving- 
kindness which dictated the offer of the gift of the President." 



CHAPTER XVIII 
White House Portraits and Painters 

PORTRAITS of all the Presidents, from Washington to 
Roosevelt, may be seen in the White House collection of 
paintings. The famous portrait of Washington, the one 
cut from its frame and preserved by Dolly Madison when the 
cry of "the British are coming" startled the members of the 
White House family in 1814, previous to the burning of the 
mansion, is still one of the gems of the collection. 

From Washington's time down to that of Buchanan, por- 
traits were made of the Presidents to adorn the White House 
walls, but all these were made unofficially. It was not till 
Buchanan's time that Presidential portraits were made officially, 
that is, by act of Congress. In 1857 Congress passed an act 
whereby a committee was authorized to collect a series of por- 
traits of the Presidents to be preserved in the White House. 

Congress made it a condition that not more than one thou- 
sand dollars "shall be paid for any full length portrait." Five 
portraits were purchased by the committee in 1858, for which 
five thousand dollars were paid. Since that time portraits have 
been added to the White House collection in each administra- 
tion both by gift of private citizen and by Congress, but only 
those authorized by Congress are pointed to to-day as the "offi- 
cial" portraits. 

As far back as Jackson's time, artists and sculptors sought 
to obtain permission to make portraits and busts of the Nation's 
Chief Executive. Of Jackson's experience in this connection 
while at the White House, it is related that he lived so much on 
the frontiers before he was President that he seemed to have 



204 Inside; History op the; White House 

had little experience with artists, if one may judge from the 
fact that he asked Mr. Powers, the sculptor, how he was getting 
along with his portraits, meaning busts. 

Jackson's daguerreotype was taken, we are told, at the 
Hermitage in the spring of 1845, a t which time he was already 
a confirmed invalid. Against the positive advice of his physi- 
cian he persisted in gratifying the wishes of those who had come 
so far to take his picture. "On the morning appointed he caused 
himself to be dressed with special care, and sat bolstered up with 
pillows and cushions. When the moment came when he should 
sit still he moved himself up with the same energy that had char- 
acterized his life, and his eye was stern and fixed and full of fire. 
The task accomplished, he relapsed into his comparatively help- 
less condition." 

Roosevelt as a "Sitter" 

President Roosevelt has sat for a number of portraits, busts 
and medals, the artists including such famous members of the 
fraternity as John S. Sargent. A sitting was given in 1908, by 
Mr. Roosevelt, to Victor D. Brenner, a sculptor, who was 
intrusted with the mission of designing a medal as a reward for 
faithful workers on the Panama Canal. In speaking of his 
experience with President Roosevelt, he said : 

"I have never had a more interesting task, because Mr. 
Roosevelt has a remarkable face and a profile that is very diffi- 
cult to get. In studying his face one gets an idea of the man's 
remarkable force and activity. His features and the outlines 
of his face are constantly changing, no matter how hard he may 
strive to remain in repose. In the sitting to-day I endeavored 
to get those lines that show Mr. Roosevelt's force and strength, 
and gave less attention to the portrait as a whole. I shall first 
make the medal nearly life size and then reduce it to the per- 
manent form." 

McKinley Sits for the "Court Painter" 

President McKinley was one of the most obliging of Presi- 
dents in the matter of sitting for his portraits. Among those 



White House Portraits and Painters 207 

who perpetuated Mr. McKinley on canvas is Mr. Charles Ayer 
Whipple, who, because of the large number of portraits he has 
painted of tenants of the White House, is called "the Court 
Painter." In speaking of his best portrait of Mr. McKinley, 
Mr. Whipple once said : 

"My portrait of Mr. McKinley, represents the President 
standing beside his handsome carved desk, with his hand upon 
the document declaring peace with Spain, the pose being such 
that the signature on the paper is visible. The size of the can- 
vas is five feet wide and eight feet high — with the President in 
heroic size. The proportions are accurately preserved, so that 
the fact that the picture is larger than the man in the flesh, will 
not be noticed when the painting is placed in its proper place in 
a large and lofty room. 

"The President is a most satisfactory model. When he. 
poses he poses, and goes into the business in a business-like 
way. He has a face which is beautiful in its strength. The 
lines in that face are so good that the stronger I make them the 
better the likeness." 

It appears that the sittings for Mr. Whipple varied in length 
from fifteen minutes to an hour and a half, and that they were 
held in the Pink Room, one of the President's private offices. 
Whenever Mrs. McKinley was present, the sitting was passed 
pleasantly in conversation. When the "First Lady" of the land 
was not there, the President smoked, while Mr. Whipple made 
the best of the few minutes allowed him before the coming of a 
messenger announcing that this or that member of the Cabinet 
was waiting outside to speak with the "Chief." The President 
often said that he found pleasure in posing, saying that instead 
of proving irksome, as he had feared, he found it a period of 
relaxation. 

Artist Carpenter Lives With President Lincoln 

Mr. F. B. Carpenter, an artist of note, was long a guest 
within the White House, while painting the picture of Lincoln 
signing the Emancipation Proclamation. He afterward wrote 



208 Inside History oe the White House 

a book entitled Six Months in the White House, in which he 
refers to an incident connected with the signing of the great 
proclamation, which occurred on New Year's Day, 1863. Says 
Mr. Carpenter: 

"The roll containing the Emancipation Proclamation was 
taken to Mr. Lincoln at noon on the first day of January, 1863, 
by Secretary Seward and his son Frederick. As it lay unrolled 
before him, Mr. Lincoln took a pen, dipped it in ink, moved 
his hand to the place for the signature, held it a moment and 
dropped the pen. After a little hesitation he again took up the 
pen and went through the same movement as before. Mr. Lin- 
coln then turned to Mr. Seward, and said : 'I have been sha- 
king hands since nine o'clock this morning, and my right arm is 
almost paralyzed'. If my name ever goes into history it will be 
for this act and my whole soul is in it. If my hand trembles 
when I sign the Proclamation, all who examine the document 
hereafter will say : 'He hesitated'. 

"He then turned to the table, took up the pen again, and 
slowly, firmly wrote that 'Abraham Lincoln' with which the 
whole world is now familiar. He looked up and smiled : 'That 
will do.' 

"The President remarked to Mr. Colfax the same evening 
that the signature appeared somewhat tremulous and uneven. 
'Not', said he, 'because of any uncertainty or hesitation on my 
part; but it was just after the public reception, and three hours' 
hand-shaking is not calculated to improve a man's chirog- 
raphy'." 

Further comments by Mr. Carpenter tell how President 
Lincoln received the salute of the White House guards and 
refer to a reception held by Mr. Lincoln at the White House in 
February, 1864: 

"Whenever he appeared in the portico, on his way to or 
from the War or Treasury Department, or on any excursion 
down the avenue, the first glimpse of him was, of Course, the 
signal for the sentinel on duty to 'present arms'. This was 
always acknowledged by Mr. Lincoln with a peculiar bow and 



White: House: Portraits and Painters 209 

touch of the hat, no matter how many times it might occur in 
the course of a day; and it always seemed to me that it was 
quite as much of a compliment on his part to the devotion of 
the soldiers, as it was the sign of duty and deference on the 
part of the guard. 

"I was told that the President would be present at a recep- 
tion in February, 1864. So I determined then to make myself 
known to him. Two o'clock found me one of the throng press- 
ing towards the centre of attraction, the Blue Room. From 
the threshold of the Crimson Parlor, as I passed, I had a 
glimpse of the gaunt figure of Mr. Lincoln in the distance, 
haggard-looking, dressed in black, relieved only by the pre- 
scribed white gloves; standing, it seemed to me, solitary and 
alone, though surrounded by the crowd, bending low now and 
then in the process of hand-shaking, and responding half 
abstractedly to the well-meant greetings of the miscellaneous 
assemblage. 

"It was soon my privilege, in the regular succession to take 
that honored hand. Accompanying the act, my name and pro- 
fession was announced to him in a low tone by one of the assist- 
ant private secretaries who stood by his side. Retaining my 
hand, he looked at me inquiringly for an instant, and said: 
'Oh, yes ; I know this is the painter'. Then straightening him- 
self to his full height, with a twinkle of the eye, he added play- 
fully: 'Do you think, Mr. Carpenter, that you can make a 
handsome picture of me'f emphasizing very strongly the last 
word of the sentence. 

"Somewhat confused at this point-blank shot, uttered in a 
tone so loud as to attract the attention of those in immediate 
proximity, I made a random reply, and took the occasion to ask 
if I could see him in his study at the close of the reception. To 
this he responded in the peculiar venacular of the West: 'I 
recon', resuming meanwhile the mechanical and traditional 
exercise of the hand which no President has ever been able to 
avoid, and which, severe as is the ordeal, is likely to attach to 
the position as long as the Republic endures." 



210 Inside History of the White House 

Portraits in the Home of the President 

One of the rarest collections of portraits in the country is 
that of the Presidents and their wives and other members of 
their families that hangs in the White House. These historical 
pictures adorn various parts of the building, though the largest 
number are to be seen on the walls of the three rooms known as 
the State Suite — namely, the Red, Green and Blue Parlors and 
the main floor corridor. In these three rooms alone hang 
twenty-two Presidential portraits. 

Three different portraits of President Roosevelt may be 
seen in the White House — by Sargent, Chartran and Encke. 
The celebrated painting of Washington, now hanging over the 
mantel-piece in the Red Parlor, was painted by an Englishman, 
previous to the war of 1812. 

Pictures in Various Rooms 

In President McKinley's time, the Red Room, with walls and 
hangings of Pompeiian red, was the family sitting room, and 
was used for receptions by the ladies of the President's house- 
hold. The portraits of John Quincy Adams, Van Buren, Tay- 
lor, Buchanan, Arthur (by Huntington), Cleveland (by East- 
man Johnson), and Harrison, all were hung in this one room 
up to the time of the remodeling of the White House in 1902. 

At the same time the Green Room was used for a music room, 
and here were portraits of Angelica Singleton Van Buren, 
who was mistress of the White House during President Van 
Buren's term; Mrs. Tyler and Mrs. Polk (presented by the 
ladies of Tennessee in President Arthur's administration) ; 
Mrs. Hayes (by Huntington), presented by the Woman's 
Christian Temperance Union, in recognition of the cold water 
regime of the White House during President Hayes' term, and 
Mrs. Harrison (by Huntington) presented by the Daughters of 
the American Revolution. 

The main corridor at that time was lighted by the glow of a 
jeweled glass screen and was adorned with palms and pictures, 
and mirrors and marbles. Here hung portraits of Presidents 



Whits House Portraits and Painters 211 

Washington (by a Spanish artist, and sent from Ecuador), 
Jackson, Polk, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Grant, Hayes 
and Garfield; and here were the busts of Columbia, Americus 
Vespucius, John Jay, Fillmore and John Bright (presented by 
Bright to Lincoln). 

" With the remodeling of the White House in 1902, some 
changes were made in the hanging of the portraits in respect to 
the rooms selected for the pictures to adorn. For example, in 
the Red, Green and Blue parlors to-day hang no portraits except 
those of Presidents and the ladies of the White House. In the 
Red Room may be seen the portraits of Washington, John 
Quincy Adams, Madison, Monroe, General Grant, Taylor, Jef- 
ferson and Mrs. Washington. The last named picture, that 
of Mrs. Washington, was painted by E. F. Andrews as late as 
1884, the artist using an engraving for the purpose. 

In the Green Room hang portraits of Presidents Hayes, 
Pierce, Buchanan, Jackson, Van Buren, W. H. Harrison, Lin- 
coln and Johnson, and another of John Quincy Adams. Of the 
Buchanan portrait it is said that there was long delay by Con- 
gress in having it made. The picture was never satisfactory to 
Mrs. Harriet Lane Johnson, and a short time before her death 
she presented the picture of her uncle which now grace the 
White House. 

In the private dining-room hangs a portrait of John Tyler, 
while in the corridor the visitor finds portraits of Arthur, 
Cleveland, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, McKinley and Roose- 
velt. 

Portraits of the "First Ladies" 

A dozen or more portraits of the mistresses of the White 
House may be seen within its walls. Mrs. Roosevelt's portrait, 
of which mention has already been made, was given to the 
Nation by the people of France. It is that well-known picture 
in which Mrs. Roosevelt is shown sitting outdoors and wearing 
a white dress, black coat, white chiffon scarf and a black Gains- 
borough hat. The portico of the White House may be dis- 



212 Inside History of the White House 

cerned in the background — the portico on the south of the 
building. 

In the Lower Corridor may be seen portraits of the young 
bride of President Tyler; also of Mrs. Van Buren, Jr., Mrs. 
Hayes, Mrs. Polk and Mrs^ Benjamin Harrison. 

Nearly all the portraits of the mistresses of the White 
House were presented by private donors, and so far as known 
none of them were paid for by any Congressional appro- 
priation. 

The finest portrait of the entire collection showing the ladies 
of the Presidents' home, is that by Theobald Chartran, of 
which mention has been made as being the gift of the Republic 
of France. 

Two of the portraits of the ladies are mentioned at length 
in an article in Munsey's Magazine, these being the pictures of 
Mrs. Polk and of Martin Van Buren's daughter-in-law, Mrs. 
Major Van Buren. Of these, the following facts are given in 
the article in question : 

"Among them is the likeness of Mrs. James K. Polk, which 
receives a good deal of admiration from visitors, and which 
deserves attention because of its elaborate costume, represent- 
ing, as it does, the mode which prevailed in the early forties. 
Mrs. Polk, who was a very handsome woman, is represented as 
wearing a gown of crimson velvet and velvet snood with droop- 
ing pink feathers, while her neck is encircled by a string of 
pearls. 

This picture was given to the White House collection by 
the women of Tennessee, but there is no official record as to 
the painter. 

"In the matter of costume, perhaps the most striking like- 
ness is that of Mrs. Major Van Buren, as she is styled on the 
tablet underneath the picture. Her husband was President 
Van Buren's son, and she herself was, before marriage, Miss 
Angelica Singleton, of South Carolina. She, too, was a beau- 
tiful woman ; but she is attired in a manner which is in curious 
contrast to the fashion of the present day. She wears a plumed 



White House Portraits and Painters 213 

headdress that is striking in the extreme. Nevertheless, a close 
inspection shows that the costume is really very dainty. The 
dress is of white mull, and the little lace-trimmed sleeves are 
caught up with tiny pink rosebuds. Her handkerchief, how- 
ever, makes one smile because of its unusual size and strange 
texture. One might very easily take it for a towel or for 
a shawl. 



CHAPTER XDC 
Maintenance of Buildings and Grounds 

THE commanding officer, as it were, of the White House 
and the park that surrounds it and of all the buildings on 
the premises, is known as the Superintendent of Buildings 
and Grounds. Under the charge of this officer of the United 
States Army, — (for the appointment has for many years been 
given to some military officer of distinction) — are, as already 
inferred, the main building, the Executive Offices, the Conserva- 
tories, the stables, and the grounds generally. He is, in effect, 
the officer of maintenance, and it is his duty to see that all nec- 
essary repairs are made and the Mansion and park kept in per- 
fect order. 

The present incumbent is Colonel Bromwell, who has held 
the post for several years. His efficiency in keeping the house 
and grounds in perfect condition and his tact on social occa- 
sions have won him no end of friends in Washington and 
among visitors from every State in the Union. 

Among Colonel BromweH's predecessors was Colonel Theo- 
dore Bingham, now Chief Police Commissioner of New York 
City, on the Board on which Theodore Roosevelt once served. 
In Lincoln's time the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds 
was called the Commissioner of Public Buildings, and the office 
was filled by John B. Blake. Under Cleveland, the post was 
held by Colonel John M. Wilson. 

Congressional Appropriation for Maintenance 

As the salary of the President of the United States is only 
$50,000 a year, and as the expenses of the maintenance of the 



Maintenance of Buildings and Grounds 215 

White House sometimes far exceed that sum, not to speak of 
the large amount of money necessary to proper entertaining, it 
is obviously impossible for the President to pay for the "keep" 
of the mansion in which he has his being for four years. 
Therefor Congress comes to the rescue with appropriations for 
the maintenance of the White House. There are several such 
appropriations, one of which is for the maintenance of the 
stables, as explained in the chapter on "Horse, Carriages and 
Stables." 

Another appropriation of annual creation, is for the proper 
repair, repainting and refurnishing of the mansion. Another 
appropriation is for fuel, and another for the conservatories. 

In a recent year the sum of $50,000 was appropriated for the 
repairing and repainting and other matters relating to the 
proper maintenance of the White House. 

Another appropriation which amounts to about $60,000, is 
for salaries of White House employes, as set forth in the chapter 
under that head. 

It has become indeed, according to chroniclers of the Roose- 
velt Administration, an unwritten law among Congressmen to 
give the President whatever he asks for in the way of money for 
the maintenance of the White House. 

Once submitting his estimate to the Secretary of the Treas- 
ury, Colonel Bromwell, the Superintendent of Buildings and 
Grounds, remarked that the annual appropriation of $35,000, 
was barely large enough to keep the house from "going to rack 
and ruin." 

To keep the White House and Grounds in proper order at 
the present time requires an outlay of about $1,000 a week. 

Light, Heat and Water 

Light in the White House to-day, under President Roose- 
velt, is furnished, of course, by electricity. By means of elec- 
tric bulbs, all the beautiful chandeliers are made to blaze as 
they never could have blazed in the days of candles. Never- 
theless, at many entertainments, Mrs. Roosevelt sees that 



2i6 Inside History of the White House 

candles are burned in certain places in the rooms, especially in 
candlesticks on the mantlepieces, as in the old days. The mam- 
moth chandeliers in the East Room contain some 6,300 pieces 
of crystal ; and, as there are three of these chandeliers, the total 
number of pieces of crystal is 18,900. 

Before the introduction of electricity, the mansion was 
lighted, of course, by gas, this form of illumination being intro- 
duced to the home of the Presidents in Polk's time. 

Heat in the present White House under President Roosevelt 
is supplied by means of the most modern steam apparatus, 
though open fireplaces are to be found in most of the rooms, in 
which wood fires are lighted when extra heat is needed, or when 
the cheeriness of the blaze of crackling log is desired. 

For further information as to light and heat, see the archi- 
tect's report in Chapter Two, on the Restoration. 

As to water and fire protection, all that need be said here is 
that the water supply in the White House of to-day is precisely 
that which one would expect to find in the home of any man of 
wealth. It may be added, as a matter of special interest, how- 
ever, that even as late as President Pierce's term, the White 
House had no such ideal water supply. At that time a special 
fire company was formed in Washington, known as the Frank- 
lin Fire Organization, having for its particular object the pro- 
tection of the Executive Mansion and other buildings in the 
"President's Park." 

"President's Park" Terraces and Conservatories 

The grounds around the White House were originally called 
"The President's Park." They comprise twenty acres, and are 
kept in every way the same as would be the country estate of a 
nature-loving American citizen with an income of $50,000 
a year. 

As for the Terraces, the official report says that from the 
State Dining Room, as also from the East Room, windows now 
open on the restored terraces, which are ornamented with suit- 
able trees and fountains, and made comfortable with garden 



Maintenance of Buildings and Grounds 217 

chairs and tables. These two garden-like spaces, 160 by 35 
each, not only restore the area formerly occupied by the con- 
servatory, but double it in extent. 

The maintenance of the conservatories is in accord with the 
annual appropriations of Congress, the appropriations for this 
purpose in a recent year amounting to $9,000. The conserva- 
tories were, in 1902, removed to the nearby grounds surround- 
ing the Washington Monument, but Congress still makes appro- 
priation for the green-houses in the annual White House 
budget. 

Under "Mrs. Roosevelt at the White House" in Chapter 
Three, will be found interesting details relating to flowers used 
in the White House at the present time. 



CHAPTER XX 
Three Alarms of Fire 

THE alarming cry of "Fire !" has been heard at least three 
times in the Executive Mansion. The first such alarm 
occurred in 1814, when President Madison and his family 
occupied the President's House, and when the British invading 
army took possession of the mansion and set fire to it. The 
building on this occasion was much damaged as to exterior, 
while almost all of the interior fittings, furniture, decorations 
and general equipment were totally destroyed. 

The second alarm was heard in the administration of Presi- 
dent Lincoln, when the White House stables were burned. 

The third alarm was in the administration of President 
Johnson, when the conservatory attached to the White House 
was burned, and when a great deal of damage was wrought in 
the White House itself. 

The details relating to each of these fires are given in this 
chapter. 

When the British Burned the White House 

In August, 18 14, the greatest misfortune that has ever over- 
taken White House tenants in respect to fire, fell to the lot of 
President and Mrs. Dolly Madison. British forces, under Gen- 
eral Ross and Admiral Cockburn, captured the city of Wash- 
ington, and burned and looted the White House and the 
Capitol. 

The battle that preceded the entrance of the British troops 
into the city is known in history as the Battle of Bladensburg. 
For three hours the battle raged furiously, and soon our forces 



Thr££ Alarms of Fire) 219 

made a general retreat to Montgomery Court House, Mary- 
land. The President and his Cabinet fled. The President con- 
tinued into Virginia, where he took refuge in a hovel for 
two days. 

Historian Gleig, a subaltern in the United States Army, 
tells us that the detachment sent to destroy the President's 
House, "found a bounteous dinner spread for forty guests. 
This, they concluded, was for the American officers who were 
expected to return victorious from the field of Bladensburg. 
The British soldiers plundered the house, taking a great deal of 
President Madison's private property and then sat down to the 
feast. They finished by setting fire to the house which had so 
liberally entertained them." 

As late as six years ago, 1902, when Architects McKim, 
Mead and White, restored the White House, (completely 
remodeling it to conform to the original design of a century 
and more before), traces of the fire of 1814 were discovered, 
the architects reporting, as stated in Chapter Two of this his- 
tory, that "in many places, where the plaster was removed, evi- 
dences of the fire Of 1814 were plainly visible." Also cut into 
the stonework were found many names, evidently of workmen 
employed on the original construction. 

Mrs. Dolly Madison's own account of the thrilling incidents 
preceding the coming of the British are of deep interest. In a 
letter written to her sister on August 23, 1814, Mrs. Madison 
said: 

"My husband left me yesterday morning to join General 
Winder. He inquired anxiously whether I had courage or 
firmness to remain in the President's house until his return on 
the morrow, or succeeding day, and on my assurance that I had 
no fear but for him, and the success of our army, he left, 
beseeching me to take care of myself, and of the Cabinet 
papers. 

"I have since received two despatches from him written with 
a pencil. The last is alarming, because he desires I should be 
ready at a moment's warning, to enter my carriage and leave 



220 Inside History oe the White House 

the city; that the enemy seemed stronger than had at first been 
reported, and it might happen that they would reach the city 
with the intention of destroying it. I am accordingly ready ; I 
have pressed as many Cabinet papers into trunks as to fill one 
carriage ; our private property must be sacrificed, as it is impos- 
sible to procure wagons for its transportation. I am deter- 
mined not to go myself until I see Mr. Madison safe so that he 
can accompany me, as I hear of much hostility to him." 

The following day, after hearing about the Battle of 
Bladensburg, Mrs. Madison again wrote, saying : 

"Our kind friend Mr. Carroll has come to hasten my depart- 
ure, and in a very bad humor with me, because I insist on wait- 
ing until the large picture of General Washington is secured, 
and it requires to be unscrewed from the wall. The process was 
found too tedious for these perilous moments; I have ordered 
the frame to be broken and the canvas taken out." 

As to the story already mentioned in these pages to the 
effect that Mrs. Madison herself cut the portrait of Washington 
from the frame to save it from the invaders, the majority of 
accounts contradict the report that "Mrs. Madison herself per- 
formed the heroic deed," but state that it was done for her, or by 
her direction, by an attache of the White House, one Jean 
Sioussat. It is said that this man cut the portrait from its 
frame with his pocketknife. Mrs. Madison's further reference 
to the incident, in addition to the letter quoted above, is con- 
tained in a letter in which she says : 

"It is done, and the precious portrait placed in the hands of 
two gentlemen from New York for safe keeping. On handing 
the canvas to the gentlemen in question, Messrs. Barker and 
Depeyster, Mr. Sioussat cautioned them against rolling it up, 
saying that it would destroy the portrait. He was moved to 
this because Mr. Barker started to roll it up for greater con- 
venience for carrying. 

Furthermore, a negro servant, named Paul Jennings, issued 
in 1865, A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James Madison, 
in which he, as a White House employe, insists : 



Three Alarms of Fire; 221 

"She (Mrs. Madison) had no time for doing it. It would 
have required a ladder to get it down. All she carried off was 
the silver in her reticule, as the British were thought to be but 
a few squares off, and were expected every moment. John 
Suse (meaning Jean Sioussat), a Frenchman, then doorkeeper, 
arid still living, and McGraw, the President's gardener, took it 
down and sent it off on a wagon with some larger silver urns 
and other such valuables as could be hastily got together. 
When the British did arrive they ate up the very dinner that 
I had prepared for the President's party." 

Other historians quote authorities on the fire of 1814, thus : 

"The friends with Mrs. Madison hurried her away (her 
carriage being previously ready), and she, with many other 
families, retreated with the flying army. In Georgetown they 
perceived some men before them carrying off the picture of Gen- 
eral Washington (the large one by Stewart), which with the 
plate was all that was saved out of the President's house. Mrs. 
Madison lost all her own property. Mrs. Madison slept that 
night in the encampment, a guard being placed round her tent ; 
the next day she crossed into Virginia, where she remained 
until Sunday, when she returned to meet her husband." 

And an eye-witness, writing for the Federal Republican, 
published at the time of the fire, says : 

"About ten o'clock on the night of the 24th ult., while the 
Capitol, the Navy Yard, the Magazine, and the buildings 
attached thereto, on Greenleaf's Point, were entirely in flames, 
I was sitting in the window of my lodging on the Pennsylvania 
Avenue, contemplating the solemn and awful scene, when about 
a hundred men passed the house, troops of the enemy, on their 
way toward the President's house. They walked two abreast 
preceded by an officer on foot, each armed with a hanger, and 
wearing a chapeau de bras. In the middle of the ranks were 
two men, each with a dark lanthorn. They marched quickly 
but silently. Some of them, however, were talking in the ranks, 
which being overheard by the officer, he called out to them 
'Silence ! If any man speaks in the ranks, I'll put him to death' ! 



222 Inside; History of the; White; House; 

Shortly after they pushed on, I observed four officers on horse- 
back, with chapeau de bras and side arms. They made up to 
the house, and pulling off their hats in a polite and social man- 
ner, wished us a good evening. The family and myself returned 
the salute, and I observed to them, 'Gentlemen ! I presume you 
are officers of the British Army'. They replied they were. 'I 
hope, sir', said I, addressing one that rode up under the window, 
which I found to be Admiral Cockburn, 'that individuals and 
private property will be respected'. Admiral Cockburn and 
General Ross immediately replied: 'Yes, sir, we pledge our 
sacred honor that the citizens and private property shall be 
respected. Be under no apprehension. Our advice to you is 
to remain at home. Do not quit your houses'. Admiral Cock- 
burn then inquired : 'Where is your President, Mr. Madison ?' 
I replied, 'I could not tell, but supposed by this time at a con- 
siderable distance'. 

"They then observed that they were on their way to pay a 
visit to the President's house, which they were told was but a 
little distance ahead. They again requested that we would stay 
in our houses, where we would be perfectly safe, and bowing, 
politely, wished us good night, and proceeded on. I perceived 
the smoke coming from the windows of the President's house, 
and in a short time, that splendid and elegant edifice, reared at 
the expense of so much cost and labor, inferior to none that I 
have observed in the different parts of Europe, was wrapt in 
one entire flame. The large and elegant Capitol of the Nation 
on one side, and the splendid National Palace and Treasury 
Department on the other, all wrapt in flame, presented a grand 
and sublime, but, at the same time, an awful and melancholy 
sight." 

Another historian tells the story of the fire with the addi- 
tional information that a terrific storm followed the application 
of the torch, thus : 

"In the war of 1812, Mrs. Madison distinguished herself for 
exceptional bravery by remaining at the Executive Mansion in 
anticipation of the President's return, and when warned that 



Three; Alarms of Fire; 225 

the British were approaching, lingering: to save a magnificent 
painting of George Washington which hung upon the wall of 
the State dining-room, and was one of the few ornaments of the 
mansion. Panic had reigned throughout the city for a week, but 
only one-fifth of its inhabitants remained to witness the cul- 
mination — the Capitol, the White House and other public 
buildings in flames and a terrible explosion at the Navy Yard. 
The deed is a lasting disgrace upon the British nation, and as 
if heaven itself wept over the prevalent devastation of our 
beautiful city, a deluge of rain descended upon the flames. 
This rain storm was followed by a tremendous hurricane, 
unparalleled in violence by any tempest that the oldest inhabi- 
tants of the place could remember. Roofs flew, and the dark- 
ness was rendered more appalling by the roar of thunder and 
the crash of falling houses. Cannon on an eminence were 
actually lifted and carried several feet to the rear; and thirty 
soldiers were buried beneath the ruins of buildings. The British 
in consternation evacuated the town after twenty-nine hours of 
memorable occupation." 

When the "White House Stables Were Burned 

One cold February night during the administration of Presi- 
dent Lincoln, the White House stables caught fire and were 
burned to the ground. No damage was done to the White 
House itself on this occasion. So far as the accounts state, the 
only animals that perished in this fire were two ponies. Of 
these, one belonged to Lincoln's little son, Tad ; while the other 
had been the property of poor little Willie Lincoln, the Presi- 
dent's son who had passed beyond (as set forth in the chapter 
on "Died in the White House.") 

All accounts state that Mr. Lincoln was "deeply affected" 
especially by the loss of the pony which his dead son had so 
loved. 

Burning of the White House Conservatories 

During Johnson's administration the conservatory took fire 
and was totally destroyed. Many valuable plants were lost, 



226 Inside History of the White House 

among others one which once was owned by General Wash- 
ington. 

This was a serious fire. And, had it not been for the prompt 
assistance of several White House attaches and of two or three 
Government officials, the historian to-day would be confronted 
with the task of describing a terrible calamity. 

The fire occurred on a blustery morning in January, 1867. 
At that time the conservatory was attached to the main build- 
ing. As the result of the bursting of a flue, or of a defective 
chimney, the flames burst forth furiously without warning. 
Fire swept through the main part of the White House, to the 
intense alarm of all then indoors. Smoke filled every room, 
and, what with fire and water and smoke, the damage to the 
White House itself amounted to some $20,000, while more than 
one thousand dollars was required to repair the damage to the 
furniture, through smoke. 

Those who helped most to avert more serious damage to the 
building included Secretary of War Stanton, General Rucker 
and a White House attache named Smith. The last-named, 
Smith, labored so vigorously to save property that he was over- 
come with the smoke. Coincident with the labors of these 
men, four fire companies worked hard to avert a general con- 
flagration. 

The losses included fully one-third of the rare and valuable 
collection of plants, among them a fine Sago palm that had 
been imported by George Washington. The value of the plants 
destroyed that morning was placed at "hundreds of thousands 
of dollars." 



CHAPTER XXI 
Babies of the White House 

IN THE one hundred and eight years of the existence of the 
White House less than twenty children have been born within 
its walls. To have entered the world in the Executive Man- 
sion is therefor an experience so unusual as to be unique, for the 
newcomer is hailed at the time as the most important baby in 
the land. 

The only child born to a President within the White House 
was the second daughter of Grover Cleveland, Miss Esther, 
who first saw the light in one of the most historic rooms in the 
Executive Mansion, on September 9, 1893, in the first year of 
her father's second term in the Presidential chair. Miss Esther 
is stili living — she is now fifteen years of age, and is the 
pride of the widowed mother in her home at Princeton, 
New Jersey. 

All other children born in the White House were grand- 
children of the Presidents. 

The first boy, and first child, born in the White House was a 
grandson of Thomas Jefferson. He was the son of Jefferson's 
daughter, Mrs. Martha Jefferson-Randolph, and was born dur- 
ing the second term of his paternal grandfather and named 
James Madison Randolph. 

The first girl born in the White House was Mary Louise 
Adams, granddaughter of President John Quincy Adams, and 
son of John Quincy Adams, Jr. She wentthrough life "in the 
same happy strain with which her birth was welcomed." When 
she grew to womanhood she married her cousin, William C. 
Johnson, of Massachusetts. 



228 Inside History of the White House 

Birth of a Granddaughter to General Grant 

The record of births at the White House includes a grand- 
daughter of General Grant (daughter of Colonel, now General, 
Fred Grant). She was christened Julia Dent Grant (the same 
name as her mother's), and afterward married Prince Can- 
tacuzene, of Russia. 

The President and Mrs. Grant, we are told, had become 
grandparents several years before this event, but of their fairly 
numerous descendants only this one little girl made her first 
appearance in the historic old mansion. The mother of this 
child "was Miss Honore, of Chicago, and came to Washington 
a bride when the social life of the administration was at its 
height." 

Americans were deeply interested, in May 1899, in the 
announcement in Frank Leslie's, of the engagement of Miss 
Julia D. Grant to Prince Michael Cantacuzene, of the Russian 
Imperial Guard, whose family had been acquaintances of the 
Grants for more than twenty years. The Prince met Miss 
Grant in Rome while she was traveling with her aunt, Mrs. 
Potter Palmer, of Chicago. The Prince was at that time the 
military attache of the Russian embassy, and when Mrs. Palmei 
and her charge left for Cannes the Prince obtained leave of 
absence in order that he might follow her, and an engagement 
was the natural outcome. The Prince was then twenty-five 
years old, a lieutenant in the Imperial Guard, and the owner of 
the family estates east of Moscow, where he maintained a mag- 
nificent home. Miss Grant was an excellent linguist and was a 
favorite in official circles when her father was minister to 
Vienna. 

At the time of her marriage Julia Dent Grant was popu- 
larly alluded to as "A Daughter of the Nation." She was, it is 
said, her grandfather's favorite, and her famous grandparent, 
Ulysses S. Grant, always called her "Little Sunshine." 

Paying a tribute to this little girl of the White House, a 
biographer says : 

"The stork that brought this little bundle of possibilities to 



Babies of the; White; House; 229 

the White House must have been accompanied by a whole flock 
of winged harbingers of prosperity and happiness, for the two 
and twenty years of life Julia Grant has seen have been filled to 
overflowing with all that the world holds best. Notwithstand- 
ing the admiration of two continents, she is about to take leave 
of her girlhood quite unspoiled and go to the far-away home of 
her husband a beautiful type and brilliant example of American 
womanhood." 

Three Girls Born in the White House 

Of all the children who first came into the world in the 
Presidents' official home, only three or four are still living. 
Two of these, already mentioned, are Esther Cleveland, living 
at Princeton, and the Princess Cantacuzene (Julia Grant) living 
in St. Petersburg, Russia. A third is a granddaughter of Presi- 
dent Andrew Jackson, Mrs. Mary Donelson Wilcox, who died 
in Washington a few years ago. 

This granddaughter of the White House was christened 
Mary Donelson. Her father, Andrew Jackson Donelson, had 
been ward to "Old Hickory," his uncle-in-law. In the early 
days this young Donelson was a companion to General Jackson 
on the Seminole campaign. When General Jackson went to the 
White House, Donelson became the President's Secretary and 
confidential adviser. 

Her mother, whom President Jackson always addressed as 
"My daughter," contributed much "to render General Jack- 
son's term such a brilliant epoch in American history." "Three 
children were born to her in the White House. As they grew 
up around the President, he entered into their games and plays ; 
and some of the prettiest pictures ever presented in the White 
House were those of the aged hero surrounded by these merry 
little ones." 

In 1852, in Washington, says one biographer, seven years 
after General Jackson's death, Mary Donelson was married to 
Congressman Wilcox of Mississippi, by the same clergyman 
that christened her in 1830. Eight Presidential aspirants were 



230 Inside History of the White House 

present, Millard Fillmore, the incumbent, Daniel Webster, Win- 
field Scott, Stephen A. Douglas, James Buchanan, Dickinson, 
William Marcy and Lewis Cass. 

"Years later" according to her biographer, "when this baby 
girl had passed through many stages of life, and had seen the 
Nation shaken to its centre by a war that reduced her from 
affluence to poverty, she came back to Washington a widow, 
with children dependent upon her for even more than a mother's 
care, and accepted a clerkship in the Treasury Department. 

"Without any reference to her former greatness, she con- 
tinued in office until relieved of her duty as breadwinner by her 
daughter, Miss Mary Wilcox, now of the Pension Office, who 
was her mother's main support and devoted companion. 

"In 1874, widowed, with a son and daughter dependent 
upon her exertions," says another biographer, "Mrs. Wilcox 
accepted from her cordial friend, President Grant, the position 
of translator of foreign languages in the Washington Post 
Office." This was evidently previous to taking her post in 
the Treasury. "Her linguistic talents had been cultivated by 
residence in the many parts of the world where her father had 
held diplomatic portfolios. Her hearty relations with Presi- 
dent Roosevelt began when the latter was a member of the Civil 
Service Commission, and she was on the Board of Modern 
Languages, just established at that time." 

"Mrs. Mary Emily Donelson Wilcox," continues her 
biographer, writing only a few years ago, "is the sole living 
representative of her generation of White House babies and is 
a very interesting old lady, who enjoys a wide popularity among 
the older order of Washington society. 

"When the cornerstone of the Treasury was laid, President 
Jackson was asked to supply some memento in addition to the 
newspapers of the day and the coin of the realm usual on such 
occasions. He complied by clipping a sunny strand of hair 
from the head of baby Mary Donelson, with the remark, 'that it 
was something precious in his eyes'. 

"Mrs. Wilcox treasures to this day a letter of her mother's, 



Babies oe the White House 231 

written January 29, 1829, in which is given an account of an 
ovation given to the new President's party — of which she and 
her husband were members — at Cincinnati, en route to Wash- 
ington. She says, 'Uncle Jackson's arm is very lame, and his 
hand is sore and swollen from all the handshaking he has 
received. He is wearing it in a sling'." 

The fond sobriquet of "Sunshine of the White House" that 
her doting "Uncle Jackson" bestowed upon little Mary Donel- 
son, was no empty title. "She only could woo the great man 
from his widowed melancholy, or banish his characteristic 
irascible moods. He gloried in her petty tyranny over him 
throughout all the eight years of his incumbency." 

Other Births in the President's House 

This record of those who first saw the day in the White 
House concludes with two other children born to Jackson's 
niece during "Old Hickory's" administration; and two grand- 
children of President Tyler. Of the latter, one was a son to 
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Tyler, Jr., in 1842, and a son born to 
President Tyler's daughter, Mrs. Henry Lightfoot Jones, in 
1843. The Tyler grandchildren were not so happy in after life, 
Robert Tyler Jones having died in Washington less than 
twenty years ago, "after half a century of life saddened by a 
series of calamities and threatened by want." / 

Christened in the Green, Red and East Rooms 

The first child girl born in the White House was also the 
first child to be christened within the Presidential home. She 
was little Mary Louise Adams, granddaughter of President 
John Quincy Adams. 

"Her christening in the Green Room was the closing func- 
tion of her grandfather's administration, and was attended by 
the Secretary of State and other members of the Cabinet, 
with the addition of many other distinguished guests." Among 
them was General Stephen Van Rensselaer, "the last of 
the patroons," and hero of the War of 1812, who acted as god- 



232 Inside History oe the; White House 

father. Her christening robe and many of the presents given 
on that occasion, are said to be among the valued possessions of 
her family. 

Since then there have been many christenings in the Execu- 
tive Mansion, including the ceremony performed during the 
incumbency of President Benjamin Harrison, when one of the 
"Baby McKee's" was christened. It occurred on the thirty-first 
of May, 1889, following a Cabinet meeting. Mr. Harrison 
extended an informal invitation to his official advisers that day 
to come into the Red Room and "see my granddaughter receive 
the name of Mary Lodge McKee." Mrs. Harrison's father, 
Dr. Scott, performed the ceremony — using for the purpose 
water brought from the River Jordan by Dr. Scott's son-in-law, 
Lieutenant Parker. 

Perhaps the most ceremonious of all the christenings at the 
White House was that of the naming of the grandniece of 
President Jackson, Mary Donelson, to whom much space has 
already been given in this chapter. In telling the story of the 
christening, one chronicler says : 

"Her first glimpse of the big world was through the win- 
dows of the upper western chamber, facing Pennsylvania 
Avenue, the same apartment President Grant used as a library, 
and the one in which the wife of President Harrison died. 

"No American ever enjoyed a more distinguished babyhood 
than this small stranger. Royal honors were heaped upon her, 
and her christening was a function of pomp. 'Spare no expense 
nor pains, ma'am', the President dictated to his niece, in his per- 
emptory fashion. 'We will do all honor to the baby'. 

"The East Room was gayly decorated and illuminated. 
Miss Cora Livingstone, the belle of the period, daughter of the 
Secretary of State, stood godmother to the little maiden, while 
the President himself and Martin Van Buren shared the honors 
as godfathers. President Jackson held the candidate tenderly 
in his arms during the ceremony, enjoying the feminine caprice 
that prompted the little lady to desert Mr. Van Buren for him. 

"Both houses of Congress, the Diplomatic and the Judiciary 



Babies of the White House 233 

bodies were among the company, as well as General Robert E. 
Lee, then a young Lieutenant of Engineers, with his bride, 
Mary Custis." 

President Hayes' daughter, Fanny, and his son, Scott Rus- 
sell, were both christened on the same day, December 39, 1877, 
in the Blue Room of the White House. 



CHAPTER XXII 
Child Life at the President's House 

THE prattle and play, song and shout of children has been 
heard in the White House in nearly every administration. 
The first child to play in the original President's house 
was the little orphaned granddaughter of John Adams, Susanna 
Adams, then only three years old. Jefferson used to romp with 
his little grandson, and John Quincy Adams always showed the 
utmost solicitation about his little granddaughter, especially 
when he heard her cry at night. President Arthur very fre- 
quently joined in the games of his little daughter, Nellie, and 
her friends. 

Mr. and Mrs. McKinley were both of them remarkably fond 
of little children. Sometimes, says the White House door- 
keeper, on going out to take her drive and little children being 
near, Mrs. McKinley would throw them a kiss if they were not 
near enough to the carriage for her to kiss them. 

The Roosevelt Children 

The children of President and Mrs. Roosevelt number six — 
four boys and two girls. The boys are Theodore, Jr., Kermit, 
Quentin and Archie. The girls are Alice and Ethel. Facts 
about the order of these children will be found in the chapters 
headed "Sons and Daughters." It is reserved for this chapter 
to tell of incidents of child life at the White House wherein the 
younger children are involved, and to give a suggestion of how 
the Presidents played the part of father. 

"In the matter of family sentiment," says Charles Wagner, 
author of the Simple Life, who was a guest of President Roose- 



Child Life at the: President's House 235 

velt at the White House, "I found the President full of tender- 
ness and filial respect. When he spoke of the home, it was with 
emotion, almost with tears in his eyes. He called it the key- 
stone of humanity. Here I immediately recognized the man of 
heart, of a fundamental human fiber wonderfully sensitive and 
strong. Speaking of his religious sentiments, he said : 'I am 
very much attached to my old Dutch Reformed Church, and at 
the same time I belong to the Church Universal'." 

Mr. Roosevelt has a way of treating his children with mock 
solemnity and deference — a manner which they quite see 
through, and in which they take delight. One day, we are told 
in a biography of Mr. Roosevelt, the President and a newspaper 
man went into the house together and turned into the study. 
There is a wide, deep fireplace in the room, and in the middle of 
this cosy cavern the embers glowed. At the sides, huddled out 
of the way of the live coals, four of the little Roosevelts sat 
staring at the fire. The President peered into the fireplace and 
his young hopefuls peered out at him. 
. "What in the world are you doing in there ?" he demanded. 

"We thought we would get in out of the draught," explained 
one of the children. 

"Oh, did you ? Well then," continued Roosevelt, assuming 
his mock solemnity and deference, "permit me to apologize for 
disturbing your meditations, and pardon me for asking you to 
seek another asylum from the draught. This gentleman and 
myself have a matter to attend to in which I will not encroach 
upon your wisdom for counsel." 

"If there is one youngster in Washington who should lay 
claim to being the most democratic juvenile in the Capital," says 
Mrs. Abby Baker, "it is Quentin Roosevelt, youngest son of 
the President. When Quentin is ready for school he straps his 
books over his shoulder, mounts his wheel and rides away just 
like any other American boy. He is a pupil at the Force 
School, one of the public schools of Washington, and when he 
arrives there in the morning he is just "Quentin" or "Roose- 
velt," and there is no disposition on his part or on those of his 



236 Inside History of the White House 

fellow students to regard him in any other light than just as a 
plain American boy and one of their schoolfellows. Since he 
was a very small youngster Quentin has gone to school by 
himself. Occasionally during the past year a Secret Service 
man has accompanied the President's son to school and called 
for him later in the day." 

How Grant Joined in Children's Pleasures 

General Grant, while at the White House was devoted to his 
family, and we are told that he sought relaxation with his chil- 
dren from official cares. He joined in their pleasures and 
never was so happy as when a comrade in their sports. 

There have been many alterations in the White House since 
General Grant was President, but, as we learn from a writer of 
to-day, "the beautiful home life of the Grants is daily recalled 
by the natural American home atmosphere which President 
Roosevelt and his family create. The home life of General 
Grant was somewhat similar to that of President Roosevelt. 
General Grant was devoted to his family, and the happiest 
moments of his life were passed in the companionship of his 
children. He was ever ready to interest himself in their pleas- 
ures and their pastimes, and, on many occasions, he joined in 
their outdoor sports and assisted them in building some boyish 
structures or set the stake or post for an athletic game or a 
gymnastic contrivance. The pride of General Grant's heart 
was his only daughter, Nellie, and the outside world probably 
never knew, nor could it realize, how hard it was for him to 
give her in marriage to the dashing young Englishman." 

President Geveland's Babies 

Two of President Cleveland's five children were born while 
he was President. These two were Esther, born at the White 
House in 1893, and Marion, born at Gray Gables, Buzzard's 
Bay, Massachusetts, in 1895. M f - Cleveland's first child, Ruth, 
was born in 1891, between the two terms of her father at the 
White House. These three children, then, are the ones whose 



Child Liee at the President's House 237 

prattle or baby cries were heard in the White House in Mr. 
Cleveland's second term. 

These children occupied most of Mrs. Cleveland's time, and 
the President was naturally very proud of them. When he 
wished to show his offspring to his friends at the White House, 
Mr. Cleveland wOuld call to his wife ; "Frankie, bring Ruth in 
here." Whereupon Mrs. Cleveland, in a high state of excite- 
ment, would call out : 

"I can't let you see her now. She's going to play on the 
grass and she's got a soiled apron on." 

"Never mind the apron, bring her in," Mr. Cleveland would 
retort. And in Mrs. Cleveland would come, then, with a very 
shy, but very winsome little girl. 

Mr. Cleveland's biographers are one in asserting that after 
Mrs. Cleveland came to Washington as a bride, and all during 
Mr. Cleveland's second term when the babies occupied so much 
of the mother's time, the domestic life at the White House was 
one of ideal happiness. "Mr. Cleveland," says one who visited 
the White House at the time, "has collected one of the largest 
children's libraries extant, and the nursery looks as if every 
patriotic toy manufacturer and dealer in the country had sent 
some contribution for the amusement of these little ones. Mr. 
Cleveland's office is no forbidden precinct, and both Ruth and 
Esther effectually prove that he does not exert much authority 
over them." 

Lincoln's "Way With Children 

Mr. Lincoln, while at the White House, displayed day by 
day a surpassing love for children. With little Willie, his 
second born, who died while living in the White House, and 
Tad, the third son, the Great Liberator would join in play 
every evening at dusk — and, also irregularly at any time of the 
day that one of the lads pleaded with the loving father to "have 
some fun." 

"On one occasion there was no one in the room but little Tad 
Lincoln and myself," writes Doorkeeper Pendel, "An old- 
fashioned settee and some rickety chairs constituted the furni- 



238 Inside History oe the White House 

ture. Those were the days when we were not thinking about 
furniture. Little Tad piled two or three chairs upon the settee 
and secreted himself behind it. Just as the President came in, 
Tad pitched the chairs and settee over into the middle of the 
floor in front of his father. The President roared out laughing." 
"Almost every day about ten o'clock," continues Doorkeeper 
Pendel, "I would accompany Mr. Lincoln to the War Depart- 
ment. I used to try to expedite his leaving the White House 
as much as possible, because people would always hang around 
and wait to see Mr. Lincoln, and would thrust notes into his 
hands as he passed and in many ways annoy him. One day 
just as we got to the front door, after going out of the private 
corridor, there was a nurse who had been in the East Room with 
an infant in her arms and a little tot walking by her side. Just 
as we were about to pass out of the door, she got in front of us. 
I took hold of the little tot gently, and moved her to one side so 
that we could get out. The President noticed this action, and 
rather disapproved of my moving the child to let him pass and 
said, 'That's all right; that's all right'. The interpretation I 
put upon his words was that he would sooner have been 
annoyed by people thrusting letters into his hands than make 
a little child move aside for him to pass." 

President Tyler Played Forfeits 

President Tyler, frequently said that he loved, better than 
anything else, his daily "play time" with the children and 
grandchildren of the White House. The first Mrs. Tyler was 
an invalid and so the President was frequently in the company 
of his children, for the purpose of entertaining them in the 
mother's stead. His children, Alice and Tazewell, then in their 
teens, drew many young friends to the White House, and often 
passed their play time in Mrs. Tyler's sick room. More fre- 
quently, however, the "good time" took place in the Red Room. 
The President himself would often come to the Red Room and 
take a part in the old-fashioned games, "always insisting upon 
the forfeits being paid." 



CHAPTER XXIII 
Sons of the Presidents 

TRUE it is that in many cases the lives of the sons and 
grandsons of distinguished men are obscured by the 
greatness of fathers or grandfathers. In the case of the 
Presidents, however, many notable exceptions to this more or 
less usual state of affairs may be cited. For example, two 
members of the Adams family of Massachusetts, father and son, 
became Presidents of the United States. Two members of the 
Harrison family of Ohio also became Presidents, these being 
father and grandson. Besides these, the sons of no less than ten 
or twelve Presidents have lived to make a name for themselves. 

Weil-Known Presidents' Sons 

Regarding those Presidents' sons who have made a name 
for themselves, the Ohio Magazine gives the following facts : 

Only twenty-one Presidents' sons have grown to manhood. 
Six Presidents — Washington, Madison, Jackson, Polk, 
Buchanan (a bachelor) and McKinley — left no children. 
Two — Jefferson and Monroe-— left daughters only. President 
Johnson had two sons, but both died before he was President, 
and so do not count. The sons of thirteen Presidents — John 
Adams, John Quincy Adams, Van Buren, William Henry Har- 
rison, Tyler, Taylor, Fillmore, Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Gar- 
field, Arthur and Benjamin Harrison — have lived to man's 
estate. The sons of Cleveland and Roosevelt are still boys. 

Of the twenty-one Presidents' sons who have reached man- 
hood, nine have bulked large in the public eye, and all but one 
or two have been solid, substantial citizens. 



240 Inside; History of the White House 

The prominent nine are John Quincy Adams, President, 
diplomatist and Representative; Charles Francis Adams, pub- 
licist and statesman ; Robert Tyler, Register of the Confederate 
Treasury ; Richard Taylor, who served with distinguished gal- 
lantry on the Confederate side of the Civil War; John Van 
Buren, prominent in State politics and just entering National 
politics when he died ; Robert Todd Lincoln, Cabinet Minister, 
diplomatist and president of the Pullman Palace Car Company ; 
Frederick Dent Grant, diplomatist and General in the army ; 
Henry A. Garfield, lawyer, banker and professor of politics in a 
great university, and James R. Garfield, State Senator and 
United States Civil Service Commissioner, Commissioner of 
Corporations in the Department of Commerce and Labor, now 
in the Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior. 

Besides the nine who have climbed so high, there is John 
Scott Harrison, who had the unique distinction of being the 
son of one President and the father of another. He was a man 
of force and of great influence in his own State. 

Ten, or one less than half the President's sons who 
have reached manhood, are entitled to be named on the roll 
of honor. 

To these ten should be added two others, namely, the sons 
of Presidents Hayes, Benjamin Harrison. Major Webb C. 
Hayes, son of President Hayes, achieved a splendid record in 
the Spanish-American War, and afterward as an officer of the 
United States Army. President McKinley appointed him 
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Thirty-first Infantry, and he did good 
work in Porto Rico and elsewhere in operations against the 
Spaniards. 

At the same time the son of President Benjamin Harrison, 
Major Russell B. Harrison, was appointed by President McKin- 
ley to a high post in the Inspector-General's department. He 
proved to be one of the most useful officers of the army. At the 
close of the war Major Harrison went to Havana and rendered 
distinguished service in establishing the new and better order 
of things in that city. 




SOME OF THE WHITE HOUSE PETS 




READY FOR A MORNING RIDE 



Sons of the: Presidents 243 

Lincoln's Son Once a White House Tenant 

Robert Todd Lincoln, only living son of Abraham Lincoln, 
has indeed lived to have recorded to his credit a career of dis- 
tinguished service in Government as well as in business, in 
diplomacy as well as in the Cabinet. At the time he was a 
tenant in the White House, he was twenty years old. At the 
age of sixty-three, according to a biographer, he was appointed 
Secretary of War by Garfield, sixteen years after Abraham Lin- 
coln was assassinated. He never has been much in politics, 
but has been mentioned several times for the Presidency. Upon 
leaving the Cabinet, in 1895, he returned to Chicago, where he 
had gathered a big law practice, after graduating from Har- 
vard College and Law School, and built up his practice anew, 
his speciality being real estate. He became counsel for the 
Pullman Company early in its history, and on the death of Mr. 
George M. Pullman was made its President. He was Minister 
to England under Harrison. 

A Distinguished Son of General Grant 

While his father lived at the White House as President of 
the United States, Colonel (now General) Fred Grant brought 
his bride to the mansion and the newly married couple lived 
there for months. Since then Gen. Fred Grant has served with 
honor and distinction in the army, and now holds one of its 
highest commands. His brother, Jesse Grant, is so popular 
among his fellow-Democrats of California, that they have more 
than once mentioned him as a candidate for President. 

Senator George F. Hoar tells of meeting President Grant 
at the White House and concludes with an allusion to the love 
of Grant for his son, evidently young Fred Grant, as follows : 

"I was not in the habit of going often to the White House 
when Grant was President. When I did, he received me 
always with great kindness. He always seemed to be very fond 
of my brother; and I suppose that led him to receive me in a 
more intimate and cordial fashion than he would otherwise 
have done. I was first introduced to him in the cloak-room of 



244 Inside History oe the White House 

the House of Representatives the Saturday evening before his 
inauguration. He came, I think, to see Mr. Boutwell, then a 
member of the House, afterward his Secretary of the Treasury. 
He came to Worcester in the summer of that year, and I went 
with him in a special car to Groton in the afternoon. He 
expressed special delight in the appearance of the boys of the 
Worcester Military School, who turned out to escort him. One 
of his sons, a well-grown lad, was upon the train. The general 
had not seen him for some time, and he sat with his arm around 
him, as one might with a little girl." 

Two Sons of President Garfield 

One son of President Garfield is now Secretary of the 
Interior, and one of the most able members of President Roose- 
velt's Cabinet. Another, Prof. Harry A. Garfield, who has for 
years occupied the important chair of politics in Princeton Uni- 
versity, is now President of Williams College, in Massachusetts, 

The political progress of the young Secretary of the Inte- 
rior, has been achieved within less than a dozen years. "On 
leaving college," says one biographer, "he took up the practice 
of law in Cleveland, and his first appearance in public life was 
in 1896, when he was elected to the Ohio Senate from his 
father's old district. In 1902 President Roosevelt made him a 
member of the Civil Service Commission, and in the following 
year Commissioner of Corporations, in the Department of Com- 
merce and Labor." 

Harry Augustus Garfield, who, according to his biographer, 
is two years older than his brother, has also made his mark as 
President of Williams College — an institution of which he and 
all his brothers are graduates, as was their father, President 
Garfield. He was the first head of Williams College who did 
not come from the pulpit. He had been for years a lawyer. 

A Son of President Tyler 

Lyon G. Tyler, a son of President John Tyler, is at the head 
of the next to the oldest institution of learning in the United 



Sons of the; Presidents 245 

States, namely, William and Mary College, at Williamsburg, 
Virginia. 

This institution is the alma mater of three Presidents of the 
United States — Monroe, Madison and Tyler; and George 
Washington was its chancellor. 

President Tyler talks to visitors to-day "in the picturesque 
old room which was the headquarters of Lord Cornwallis dur- 
ing that memorable campaign which ended with the surrender 
of Yorktown, and on the walls of which are autograph letters 
written by Thomas Jefferson," and also John Tyler. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

Daughters of the Presidents 

AS FOR the daughters of Presidents, some facts concerning 
their lives are given in the present chapter, while a 
^ further record of their achievements as hostesses at the 
White House will be found in the chapters telling of the "First 
Ladies" and of White House brides, romances and enter- 
tainments. 

The present chapter may consistently include mention only 
of those sons and daughters who once lived in the White House, 
with a brief outline of their careers after leaving the home of 
the Presidents. 

President Roosevelt's Daughter "Princess Alice" 

Just as General Grant's daughter, Nellie, was called "The 
Daughter of the Nation," so the eldest daughter of President 
Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt-Longworth, came to be called 
"Princess Alice." Both won these appellations through win- 
ning the love of the people. Here follows a description of the 
personality of Mr. Roosevelt's daughter up to the time she 
became Mrs. Nicholas Longworth. An account of her wed- 
ding is included in a separate chapter. 

Alice Roosevelt made her debut in Washington society on 
January 3, 1902, when it is recorded that the President and 
Mrs. Roosevelt "introduced an innovation in entertaining at the 
White House and gave a large ball in honor of their daughter, 
the first large dance to be given in the White House since the 
days of Dolly Madison." 

Unlike her father, it is said, she is not bookish at all. 



Daughters of the Presidents 247 

"Recently she has been devoting her leisure to books which 
deal with the history and habits of the countries where she 
traveled. But she cares little for novels or for poetry, but is an 
omnivorous reader of newspapers and magazines. She writes 
a most entertaining letter, and in these she shows a literary 
ability which she has always disclaimed." 

The remaining facts here set forth concerning this eldest 
daughter of President Roosevelt are furnished by Frank Leslie's 
Weekly, all this information relating particularly to her life at 
the White House previous to her marriage to Nicholas Long- 
worth : 

"Miss Roosevelt is the most fortunate young woman in the 
world. She has all the honors and pleasures of royalty, with- 
out being in the least hampered by its restrictions. She 
receives the attention and homage of the daughter of a King, 
but she can abandon it all at any time and enjoy life as the well- 
bred American girl. 

"At all official functions she is honored as the daughter of a 
great ruler, while in private life and among her personal friends 
she is the daughter of an American citizen, going about the 
country and enjoying the best there is in life for a healthy and 
vigorous young woman. It is scarcely within the memory of 
residents of Washington that any girl has had the splendid 
opportunities that have been afforded Miss Roosevelt. Her 
position socially, no matter where she may be, is the highest. 
With money of her own (that came to her by inheritance), with 
good health, a lively and pleasant disposition, she has been the 
most favored young woman of the present time. 

"Miss Roosevelt takes a personal interest in all the White 
House functions, and enjoys those entertainments of a semi- 
public and official character. As the daughter of the Presi- 
dent, she is naturally paid great deference by all the visitors. 
To those whom she knows she is friendly and gracious, and 
good-naturedly submits to the interested staring of thousands 
who attend the large receptions and are interested in the Presi- 
dent and his family. 



248 Inside History oe the White House 

"At social functions at the White House, Alice Roosevelt 
would often stroll about the rooms, but she was usually content 
to remain in the Blue Room with the rest of the official family 
and leave guests to be interested in themselves. Her world- 
wide popularity perhaps never was equalled by any other 
maiden. 

"An illustration of the proud place Miss Roosevelt holds in 
the world was shown in the trip she made to the Orient. A very 
good insight into the character of Miss Roosevelt was gathered 
by those who composed the party that accompanied Secretary 
Taft to the Philippines. 

"It is to the credit of Miss Roosevelt that, although a young 
woman — the youngest of the whole party — and notwithstanding 
her position and prominence, her conduct provoked not one 
word of criticism or complaint from any person who made that 
remarkable trip. Soon after the special train was on its way 
across the continent she called on every woman in the party. A 
short time after that she gave a luncheon for the women in one 
of the private cars. From the time she started until her return 
she was enthusiastic about all the sights and enjoyed every- 
thing with that eagerness characteristic of youth." 

"Among the many things in which Miss Roosevelt resembles 
her father are her love of active life and her fondness for read- 
ing. Horseback-riding is her favorite form of out-door exer- 
cise, although she is very fond of the water and is an excellent 
swimmer. She can handle an automobile, and fearlessly speeds 
her machine to its limit. She likes books, and reads much of the 
literature that particularly interests her father. In fact, her 
tastes in this direction would seem to have been formed in dis- 
cussions with him. Her reading has been remarkably wide and 
her memory retentive. She has read a great deal of poetry and 
can recite many poems from her favorite authors. 

"Miss Roosevelt was educated by governesses, consequently 
she has never formed the intimate school-girl attachments 
usually made by other girls. Her friends among the young 
women of Washington have been numerous, but her intimates 



Daughters oe the Presidents 249 

have not been many. Countess Cassini, ward of the former 
Russian Ambassador, was one of her closest friends, and they 
were frequently together." 

The "girl in blue" is Miss Roosevelt, it may be added, for 
that is her favorite color, and blue in all shades predominates 
her gowns. She dresses well and handsomely, but does not 
attempt so-called "stunning" effects. Her costumes are grace- 
ful and attractive, though never loud nor "showy." 

Another Roosevelt Daughter 

Miss Ethel Roosevelt, the second daughter of President 
Roosevelt has taken the place of her married sister, Mrs. Long- 
worth, at the White House. She will be the "Second Lady" of 
the land — her mother being the first, of course — at the White 
House in the season of 1908-9. 

In an account of Miss Ethel Roosevelt's life at the White 
House, by Margaret B. Downing, are related many interesting 
facts and incidents. In telling of Miss Ethel's first winter at 
the White House, Miss Downing says : 

"An incident which filled Washington with merriment 
relates to that first winter. Mrs. Roosevelt has always gowned 
her children with comfort and utility. Miss Ethel had resided 
in the White House about a month when girls of her own age 
and presumably of her own station began to call. But these 
little misses were clad like fairies in a play — satin skirts, knee 
high, with silk stockings and slippers, and hats that looked like 
flower baskets. One such maiden came one Saturday and sat up 
prim and immaculate in the lower corridor, waiting until the 
White House attendant called her hostess. Miss Ethel arrived 
on the scene rather breathless and disheveled. She had been 
down to the White House stables and was trying a new pony. 
The little guest explained that she came to make a visit and 
asked Ethel if she could go where she had been and play with 
the horses. 'Play' ? said the President's daughter with horror, 
'Play dressed up like that, while everybody would laugh at me ? 
Go home and get on your everyday clothes and then we'll play'." 



250 Inside History oe the White House 

Proceeding then with a sketch of the personality of this 
interesting daughter of Mr. Roosevelt, Miss Downing tells 
us that : 

"This young maiden, whose entrance into Vanity Fair is 
fraught with such important issues, to her country, is one of the 
most beloved of the series of girls who have enlivened the fa- 
mous old home of the Presidents since the days of its first mis- 
tress, Abigail Adams. No other girl has reigned there so long, 
not even that illustrious belle, Nellie Grant, and none has entered 
its portals so young and grown to womanhood in its precincts. 
It is difficult for Washingtonians to recognize in the tall, grave 
girl, who is now her mother's inseparable companion, the mis- 
chievous little sprite whose antics diverted the city six years ago. 

"She is very fond of books, and her den in the White House, 
former boudoir of Mrs. Longworth, has dainty little shelves 
which contain books received as gifts when barely able to read. 
Her father gives her many of the presentation copies which 
famous authors send him, especially those which deal with 
things in which she is interested. She has thus gotten together 
an ambitious lot of autograph copies for so young a collector. 
She has a fine collection of old prints of musical celebrities, and 
these are artistically framed and adorn her bedroom. 

"Miss Ethel Roosevelt's entrance into the White House 
caused considerable commotion, just six years ago this October. 
She arrived with her parents about four o'clock in the after- 
noon, a tall, rather awkward girl, with bobbed hair and some- 
what hoydenish ways of conducting herself. With her two 
brothers, Kermit and Archibald, she inspected her new home 
from roof to cellar, and then the trio, hitherto close companions, 
turned their attention to the grounds. It was just getting dark 
when the children went into the park which fronts Pennsylvania 
Avenue, and the lamplighter, with his little ladder, was scam- 
pering up and down the posts. Ethel watched the proceeding 
with deep interest, and then and there she devised a new game. 
When the lighter would turn into a different avenue, up the 
post she would climb, and turn off the light. The man was 



Daughters of the Presidents 251 

completely mystified, no sooner would one side of the park be 
illuminated when the other would be in darkness. Finally the 
watchman discovered the trouble, and from that first evening 
Miss Ethel knew no more revels with her brothers. She was 
placed in charge of a governess and was permitted to join no 
sports in which boys were actors." 

"The Daughter of the Nation"— Nellie Grant 

Miss Nellie Grant, while living at the White House previous 
to her marriage to Algernon Sartoris, was given the name of 
"The Daughter of the Nation." At the time she occupied the 
White House with her father and mother and brothers she was 
described as being a "handsome girl, with brown hair and eyes, 
a soft skin, tinged with healthy color, and a round, full figure." 
She was not nineteen years old until the fourth of July follow- 
ing her marriage. She was slightly under medium height, not 
much of a talker, and a fine dancer. Her face was open and 
frank, always smiling, and her modesty and amiability were 
unaffected. President Grant always refused to allow his young 
daughter to figure in society and public functions. 

The story of the marriage of Nellie Grant to Mr. Sartoris 
is contained in a separate chapter. 

President Tyler's Daughter 

The most notable Southern woman surviving the classic old 
regime, says a magazine paragraph published by ex-Governor 
Taylor, of Tennessee, is that yet brilliant daughter of President 
John Tyler, Mrs. Letitia Tyler-Semple, who ruled the White 
House when her father, John Tyler, of Virginia, the tenth Chief 
Executive of the Nation, held sway there. "Mrs. Semple, now 
eighty-six years old," continues the same story, written in 1906, 
"mentally virile, almost totally blind, is the pet and admiration 
of that philanthropic institution founded for Southern gentle- 
men by the late W. W. Corcoran, the Louise Home. Mrs. 
Semple is the honored guest of all Presidential families at the 
White House, where she once reigned as "First Lady." 



252 Inside History oe the White House 

A biographer of this daughter of a President, in relating 
further about President Tyler's daughter, says that "only a 
few blocks from the White House, where she once ruled, a 
light-hearted queen, Letitia Tyler Semple — daughter of John 
Tyler, tenth President of the United States — blind, infirm, but 
mentally virile, waits peacefully for the end, amidst the com- 
forts of that philanthropic institution, The Louise Home." 

"Over the mantel in her bedroom hangs an oil portrait of her 
lovely mother, Letitia Christian Tyler, of Virginia, who died 
soon after her husband's accession to the Presidency. Indeed, 
so frail was the health of President Tyler's wife, that her 
official place in the White House was invariably filled by one of 
her three daughters, Letitia, Elizabeth, Alice, or by her son's 
wife, Mrs. Robert Tyler." 

Letitia Tyler, as her biographer informs us, married at 
eighteen to Captain Semple, U. S. N. of Virginia. She was 
just one and twenty when her official career began in the White 
House as the daughter of a President. She was living with 
her father at this time during the absence of her husband on a 
three-years' cruise. 

"Those were days of conservatism and quiet dignity, and 
the passing of the old regime is deeply deplored by this stately 
relic of by-gone days." Mrs. Semple denounces, it was said 
some years ago, what she was moved to call in her emphatic 
way "the atrocious butchery" of the White House, declaring 
that even were she able, physically, nothing could induce her to 
enter the offensively "reconstructed" portals of to-day. 

After a visit to Mrs. Semple her biographer records the fact 
that this brilliant young-old lady of eighty-four (this account 
being written in perhaps 1904), with her grande dame elegance 
and culture recalls, as though it were but yesterday, the hasty 
flitting in 1841 of her father, then the Vice-President, and his 
family, from the home in Williamsburg, Virginia, to Washing- 
ton, when news was brought to them, by the boat Osceola, of the 
death, two days before, of that President of one month, William 
Henry Harrison. 



Daughters of the; Presidents 253 

After the installation of the new incumbent in the Executive 
Mansion, Mr. Tyler promptly assembled about him, in solemn 
conclave, we are told, his three daughters and his daughter-in- 
law, and laid upon them this injunction : "My daughters, you 
are now occupying a position of deep importance. I desire you 
to bear in mind three things : Show no favoritism, accept no 
gifts, receive no seekers after office." 

Dolly Madison, still brilliant in the forties, gave to the 
Misses Tyler the benefit of her social experience. It was at Mrs. 
Madison's suggestion that they returned all calls in person ; and 
accordingly three afternoons a week were devoted to this duty. 

"At the White House, during Mrs. Semple's reign, the ordi- 
nary schedule of hospitality was two dinners a week, of about 
forty covers, to members of Congress, with one public reception, 
to which invitations were not issued." 

But all gayety went into eclipse, it is stated, upon the death 
of the President's invalid wife in 1842. Mrs. Robert Tyler, in 
a letter from the White House to a friend wrote, "Nothing can 
exceed the loneliness of this large and gloomy mansion hung in 
black." At the same time she speaks of "the almost awful- 
looking Mr. Daniel Webster" and "his charming gossip." 

"Mrs. Semple," writes Daisy Fitzhugh Ayres, emerging 
from the vicissitudes of the Civil War, widowed and penniless, 
full of pluck and capacity, with three nephews and nieces to 
provide for, opened in Baltimore, according to one who knew 
her, the "Eclectic Institute" for young ladies, the attendance at 
which of two pupils from Canton, Ohio, produced the germ of 
the subsequent intimacy between Mrs. Semple and President 
McKinley and his wife. We are told, then, that it was at the 
urgent instance of Mr. W. W. Corcoran, the Washington 
philanthropist of the last generation, that the daughter of Presi- 
dent Tyler "lent the prestige of her presence to the Louise 
Home, then just established as a memorial to his wife and 
daughter. Mrs. Semple's residence there in the troublous 
times immediately succeeding the Civil War, was looked upon 
as a wise stroke of sectional diplomacy." 



254 Inside History of the White House 

Welcome at the White House, continues Daisy Fitzhugh 
Ayres, Mrs. Semple has proven herself to be through all admin- 
istrations. It was her friend, Mr. Corcoran himself, who was 
wont to escort her to the Hayes' receptions. Mrs. Hayes, her- 
self a Virginian, was a constant informal guest of Mrs. Semple 
at the Louise Home. Every McKinley function had this vener- 
able daughter of a President high on its list of honored guests, 
while Mrs. McKinley's carriage was often at her disposal. 
Mrs. Semple has flowing in her veins the blood of three Presi- 
dents : John Tyler, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison. 



CHAPTER XXV 
Grandchildren of the Executive Mansion 

GRANDSONS and granddaughters have played a part at 
the White House domestic life in at least ten of the 
twenty-six Presidential Administrations. The very first 
of all the granddaughters was Susanna Adams, the orphaned 
child of a son of President John Adams. Only two years old 
at the time, she was the first "granddaughter of the nation." 
Jefferson's life at the White House was made happier, as he 
himself said, by the presence of a grandson. John Quincy 
Adams as President, played with his little granddaughter, Mary 
Louise Adams. And Presidents Jackson and Benjamin Harri- 
son both knew what it was to drop affairs of State to romp with 
their grandchildren or grandnieces and grandnephews. 

A Grandson of President Grant 

Showing the intense interest which General Grant took in 
his grandson, Ulysses S. Grant II., son of General Fred Grant, 
it is on record that Ulysses S. Grant I, just before his death, 
addressed a letter to the President of the United States 
to be handed to the Chief Executive when the grandson 
should become of suitable age to enter West Point. The inter- 
esting story of that letter was told by General Fred Grant some 
years ago in the New York Advertiser, and from his recital the 
following facts are learned : 

It seems that in 1885, while General Grant was ill at his 
New York home, he urged his son to have the boy, then only 
three years old, trained for military life, and have him graduate 
from West Point as they both had done. 



256 Inside History of the White House 

Colonel Grant said he would do all he could to have that 
wish carried into effect, but as the boy would not be seventeen, 
the age for entering West Point, until 1899, he begged the 
General not to worry about the matter any more at the time. 

"Bring me writing materials," said the sick man. Then 
with much care and evident difficulty he addressed a letter to 
the President of the United States who should be in power four- 
teen years from that time, briefly asking that his grandson, U. S. 
Grant, be appointed to a cadetship in the Military Academy. 

Shortly afterward, General Tecumseh Sherman called to see 
him, and he got Sherman to endorse the application. Then it 
was handed to Colonel Grant to take care of, with some remark- 
by Sherman, in his good-natured way, that the writer and 
indorser might together have influence enough to secure a 
West Point cadetship. 

The Colonel said the letter was short and formal. There 
was nothing in it except the request as stated. He put it away 
with other papers left by the General. 

In due time General Fred Grant presented the letter to 
President McKinley, with the result that young Ulysses S. 
Grant was admitted to the Military Academy, and in due time 
was graduated with honors with the rank of lieutenant. A 
little later we find this young man present at the wedding of his 
sister, Miss Julia Grant. In the absence of his father in the 
Philippines, young Grant gave the bride away — to Prince 
Cantacuzene, of Russia. 

In 1906 we find this grandson of a President holding a post 
in the White House as aide to President Roosevelt. On the 
day of the marriage of Miss Alice Roosevelt to Nicholas Long- 
worth, Lieutenant Grant was assigned to look after the bride 
and groom as long as they remained in the White House, in 
the course of which duty he performed a pleasant service for 
the bride. The press dispatches of the time, in relating the 
incident, tell how Mr. and Mrs. Longworth and their friends 
"had a bit of the wedding breakfast," and then Mrs. Long- 
worth, turning to Lieutenant U. S. Grant, U. S. A., who 



Grandchildren oe the; Executive Mansion 257 

attended the young married couple as an aide from the time 
they left the altar, asked, "Have there been any cablegrams?" 
Lieutenant Grant ordered the cablegrams brought in and 
handed them to her, and they and the telegrams, which were 
also brought to her, had been copied in type-writing on letter- 
size paper, not one to a page, but in regular order, and the 
pages bulked an inch thick. There were so many that she 
could not possibly have found time to read them all, but she 
turned over the pages hurriedly, and occasionally as some dis- 
tinguished signature met her eye, she paused and read the 
contents. 

Grandchildren in Harrison's Term 

President Benjamin Harrison's grandchildren, the "Baby 
McKees" were called the "darlings of his heart" all during his 
term of residence in the White House. Mrs. McKee, the Presi- 
dent's daughter, was a constant guest at the mansion, and it is 
reported that the celebration of Christmas for the benefit of 
little Benjamin and Mary Lodge "was as elaborate as any child 
could wish." The prettiest feature of Mr. Harrison's home life 
was indeed his devotion to his grandchildren. Baby McKee 
was inseparable from "grandpa," and "no picture of the Presi- 
dent seemed complete without the twining arms of this little 
cherub about his neck." One day "the baby was naughty, and, 
climbing upon his indulgent grandfather's desk, touched in suc- 
cession all its electric bells," and in a few minutes all the White 
House attendants rushed into the room to see what was the 
matter. 

Up to Benjamin Harrison's term in the White House, the 
mansion had not for years been brightened by the presence of 
little children, and hence now the Nation took unusual interest 
in the doings of the President's grandchildren and read with 
approval of the daily visits of the President to the nursery. 
There were all kinds of festivities for the pleasure of the 
grandchildren, all by order of the President. His grandson, 
the original "Baby McKee" is to-day a young man who is mak- 



258 Inside History of the White House 

ing a name for himself. When this grandson of President 
Harrison was four years old, his grandsire gave him a birthday 
party (March 16, 1891,), at which a great number of the chil- 
dren of the Cabinet and of other Government officials were 
present. A newspaper account of this party says : 

"The guests assembled in the Blue Room, to be led by the 
President and his grandson to the dining-room where, at a 
round table, were fifteen high chairs. The centrepiece was a 
plate of ferns on which were two flags crossed, while at each 
plate were rush baskets of bonbons, the handles formed of tri- 
color ribbons. About the table were big dishes of beaten bis- 
cuits, especially made for the occasion, in the form of little 
chicks with outspread wings. The menu included bouillon, 
cakes and cream. The Marine Band supplied music. The chil- 
dren were waited on by their mothers and nurses and the ladies 
of the White House. Then the President led the way to the 
corridor with his namesake, and they all danced the Virginia 
reel." 

"Baby McKee," according to Doorkeeper Pendel, "was one 
of the principal personages in the White House. On one occa- 
sion there was a grand musical e given in the East Room by the 
'Bell Ringers'. They made beautiful music. The family all 
assembled and listened very attentively. 'Babe McKee' was 
with the President, and he made up his mind he was too far 
away from the music, so he broke away from the President and 
started over nearer to where the music was, although the Presi- 
dent tried hard to keep him back." Evidently, young "Baby 
McKee" was "boss." 

A Granddaughter of Jackson's Time 

One of the most interesting descendants of a President, one 
who, three quarters of a century ago, was a little lady of the 
White House, is Mrs. Rachel Jackson Lawrence, granddaugh- 
ter of Andrew Jackson. She is now over seventy-five years old 
and in a recent year was living at or near the "Hermitage," 
in Tennessee where, in 1907, President Roosevelt paid her a 




ARMY AND NAVY NEW YEAR'S CALLERS AT THE WHITE HOUSE 




THE PRESIDENT'S PUBLIC RECEPTION ON NEW YEAR'S DAY 



Grandchildren oE the Executive Mansion 261 

visit and said to her : "Come back to your White House." 

The early childhood of this remarkable lady was passed in 
the White House, where President Jackson devoted every spare 
moment to her, calling her "My baby," "My dear little pet," and 
"My dear little Rachel." She was the first-born of President 
Jackson's adopted son, Andrew Jackson, Jr., and she was given 
the name of the wife whom President Jackson mourned — the 
idolized wife who died on the eve of Jackson's inauguration. 
Even before "little Rachel" was born, President Jackson wrote 
to his well loved daughter-in-law, Sarah Yorke Jackson, saying : 

"I look forward with the pleasing hope when you will unite 
with me here, and present to me a lovely child, which I will 
press to my bosom with delight and accept from Providence as 
one of his kindest blessings, and for which my constant prayers 
will be offered up." 

Just how devoted President Jackson was to his little grand- 
daughter may be gleaned from the following letter written by 
Francis Blair to a friend : 

"I never witnessed in any individual more tender affection 
or sympathy than in General Jackson. He has his family at 
the Rip Raps (now Fortress Monroe), and his courtesy and 
kindness and love are felt by me as a rebuke to my colder nature, 
and less ardent sympathies with my children. He has a little 
granddaughter, Rachel, a beautiful child named for his wife, 
which he takes to his bosom whenever brought within his reach. 
I never saw this little bantling in his presence that his eye did 
not brighten and his affections rise. He says she is the solace 
of his waning life." 

The "little Rachel" grew up and married Dr. J. M. Law- 
rence, a well-known physician of Tennessee. She has been a 
widow for years, but to-day she still remembers vividly how 
each room at the White House was furnished and frequently 
relates her reminiscences of her life in those rooms. Her nurs- 
ery, for instance, adjoined President Jackson's own bedroom, 
and many a night, when "little Rachel" was fretful, the Presi- 
dent would rise from his bed and walk the floor with his grand- 



262 Inside; History of the; White; Mouse; 

daughter. Among Mrs. Lawrence's experiences, as related by 
herself, is the following story of what she calls "a night of 
horror," as related in an interview given to a correspondent of 
one of the Munsey publications : 

"A magnificent pair of Cuban blood-hounds, Leon and 
Diana, had been sent to grandpa, and were confined in the 
grounds. While I was very fond of watching them, they filled 
me with fear. One evening Gracie (the nurse), in her hurry 
to get me to bed and be off to a darky frolic, told me a bear 
story. Then she startled me by saying: 'Shet up dem eyes, 
honey, en go to sleep quick, er dem b'ars '11 git you, sho'. 

"To my childish imagination, bears were like Leon and 
Diana. I sank into the depths of the bedclothes and closed my 
eyes, my soul paralyzed with fear. I must have fallen sound 
asleep presently, only to have the horrible bears about me 
everywhere. I remember rousing up with a scream and seeing 
grandpa and my mother entering the room. Grandpa snatched 
me from my mother's quick embrace, and soothing me against 
his breast, paced back and forth across the room until every 
fear was quelled and I fell asleep. 

"At another time, hearing him talking in a corridor near by, 
I escaped, half disrobed, from the maid, and rushed to him, 
thus interrupting a conference with two of his official family — a 
face to me of small importance then. Opening wide his arms 
and murmuring, 'Bless my baby', he held me close to him, 
where I stayed until taken away by force." 



CHAPTER XXVI 
Brides of the White House 

A WHITE HOUSE bride has always become a national 
character at the time of her nuptials, while a White 
House wedding has always been regarded as a national 
event. From the time of the first wedding in the President's 
^House in 1811, when a niece of Dolly Madison's married a Con- 
gressman, to the last such wedding in 1906, when President 
Roosevelt's daughter was wedded, also to a Congressman, every 
man, woman and child in the land has taken an interest in White 
House marriages, an interest the intensity of which, with each 
individual citizen, has been secondary only to that shown on an 
occasion of the kind in his own family. 

Of the fourteen White House brides, ten were actually mar- 
ried in the mansion, while the remaining four came there to 
spend the first months of her married life. 

Only one of our twenty-six Presidents married in the White 
House — Grover Cleveland. Only one other President married 
during his term in office — John Tyler. President Tyler, as 
inferred, was not married in the White House. He went to 
New York for the ceremony, though he brought his bride to 
the White House to reign there, for the remainder of his term, 
as the second Mrs. Tyler. 

All except six of our Presidents have entered the White 
House as married men. Four were widowers — Thomas Jef- 
ferson, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren and Chester A. 
Arthur. 

Only one of our Presidents came to the White House and 
left it a bachelor — James Buchanan. But even President 



264 Inside History of the White House 

Buchanan figured in a role of importance at a Washington wed- 
ding. In i860 he attended the wedding of one who was, and 
long had been, the most conspicuous and best liked of Wash- 
ington hostesses, Madame Bodisco. Mr. Buchanan gave 
Madame Bodisco away as a bride to Captain Douglas Gordon 
Scott, of Scotland. 

Fourteen Newly Wedded White House Couples 

The fourteen White House brides were all connected more 
or less closely with the official family occupying the White 
House at the time of their weddings. The list of these brides, 
in chronological order, is as follows : 

181 1. In the original President's house, the only wedding 
in what may be called the first White House — Miss Todd, a 
niece of Dolly Madison, to Congressman John G. Jackson, 
great uncle of "Stonewall Jackson." This wedding took place 
during the administration of President Madison. 

1820. In the Executive Mansion, the first wedding follow- 
ing the restoration of the White House after its destruction by 
the British — Miss Maria Monroe, youngest daughter of Presi- 
dent Monroe, to Lawrence Gouverneur, private secretary to 
President Monroe. 

1826. Miss Helen Jackson, a connection of the famous 
Adams family of Massachusetts, to John Adams, son of Presi- 
dent John Quincy Adams. 

1830. Miss Lewis, a friend of President Jackson's, to Mr. 
Pageot, an attache of the French Legation in Washington. 

1832. Miss Easten, niece of President Andrew Jackson, to 
Mr. Polk, of Tennessee. 

1835. The third wedding in the administration of President 
Jackson. Miss Sarah Yorke, of Philadelphia, to Andrew Jack- 
son, Jr., adopted son of President Jackson. 

1838. In President Van Buren's administration. Miss 
Angelica Singleton, of South Carolina, to Major Abram Van 
Buren, a son of President Van Buren's, and his private 
secretary. 



Brides otf the; White; House; 265 

1842. In President Tyler's administration. Miss Eliza- 
beth Tyler, daughter of the President, to William Waller. 

1844. Miss Julia Gardiner, daughter of Senator Gardiner, 
of New York, to President John Tyler. 

1874. Miss' Nellie Grant, daughter of President U. S. 
Grant, to Algernon Sartoris, an Englishman of wealth. 

1874. Miss Honore, of Chicago, to Colonel Fred Grant, 
V>n of President U. S. Grant. 

1878. In the administration of President Hayes. Miss 
Emily Piatt, a niece of President Hayes, to General Russell 
Hastings. 

1886. Miss Frances C. Folsom, of Buffalo, to President 
Grover Cleveland. 

1906. Miss Alice Roosevelt, eldest daughter of President 
Roosevelt, to Congressman Nicholas Longworth, of Cincinnati. 

Of these fourteen brides, ten were married in the White 
House, and four elsewhere. The four couples who were mar- 
ried outside of the White House, each came there, however, 
immediately after the honeymoon, and lived as members of the 
President's family for months. The four bridal couples in 
question were : First, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Jackson, Jr., who 
were married in Philadelphia ; second, Major and Mrs. Abram 
Van Buren, who were married in South Carolina ; third, Presi- 
dent and Mrs. Tyler, who were married in New York ; fourth, 
Colonel and Mrs. Fred Grant, who were wedded in Chicago. 

It will be noticed, in reading the list of brides, that it includes 
two Presidents of the United States, and four sons and four 
daughters of Presidents. The two Presidents were Tyler and 
Cleveland; the four sons were those of John Quincy Adams, 
Van Buren, Jackson and Grant. The four daughters were 
those of Monroe, Tyler, Grant and Roosevelt. 

A further glance at the list of brides, shows that White 
House nuptials have been by no means periodically regular. 
The list shows only five weddings in the last fifty years, while 
the remaining nine ceremonies were crowded in between the 
years 181 1 and 1844. The average of weddings actually within 



266 Inside; History oe the White House 

the White House has been one for each decade during the exist- 
ence of the official home of the Presidents. "White House 
weddings have not been frequent enough to become common- 
place," says one writer, "but the ten within a hundred years 
afford opportunity for comparison. The scale of magnificence 
has steadily ascended until it reached its climax in the Long- 
worth-Roosevelt wedding of February, 1906." 

Brief descriptions of each of the White House weddings 
utilize the remaining space in this chapter, while the story of 
the nuptials of the Presidents and of the weddings of the 
daughters of Presidents Grant and Roosevelt are reserved for 
separate chapters. 

Early White House Weddings 

Historians have been extremely brief in recording early 
White House weddings. Of the early White House brides 
very little has come down to us. 

The earliest wedding of the kind was in Dolly Madison's 
reign, when Miss Todd, a relative of hers, was married to Con- 
gressman Jackson, of Virginia. This wedding took place 
March 11, 181 1, and Miss Todd of all the brides, was the one 
farthest removed in relationship from any official family. 

In recorded descriptions of Miss Todd, we are informed 
that "she was a beautiful girl of Philadelphia. The dashing 
consort of the President, Dolly Madison, brought about the 
wedding in the White House to furnish a social sensation. The 
bride was a Quakeress, and is said to have demurred at the 
lavish display, but the festivities were a nine-days' wonder in 
Washington." The bridegroom was John G. Jackson, a Repre- 
sentative in Congress from Virginia. All his colleagues in 
Congress, the government officials, and the diplomats attended 
the wedding reception. 

Concerning two of the three weddings in President Jack- 
son's time, when Cupid certainly seems to have had a period of 
strenuous activity in the White House, it is learned from bio- 
graphical sources that the President, despite his warrior record, 



Brides of the White House 267 

was extremely fond of young company. "When the engage- 
ment of Miss Lewis, daughter of Major Lewis, of Nashville, a 
friend and neighbor, was announced," says one biographer, 
"Jackson prevailed upon her to be married in the White House. 
Her husband was Secretary of the French legation, and after- 
ward Minister to Washington, and he desired the honor of 
being the first foreigner to take a White House bride. The 
beautiful Tennessee girl did not need much persuasion and the 
couple made a pretty picture. In the same way Jackson pre- 
vailed upon his niece, Miss Easten, of Tennessee, to accept the 
hospitality of his home for her wedding with Mr. Polk of the 
same State." 

When President Hayes Gave the Bride Away 

During the administration of President Hayes, occurred a 
White House wedding of which very little has been written. 
This was the marriage of a niece of the President, Miss Emily 
Piatt, to General Russell Hastings. The ceremony took place 
in the White House on June 19, 1878. The particular chamber 
chosen for the purpose was the Blue Room. 

Miss Piatt had frequently assisted Mrs. Hayes at recep- 
tions and other social functions at the White House. She had 
numerous friends at the National Capital, and all these, together 
with the members of the Cabinet and their families, were pres- 
ent at the wedding. The ceremony took place under a beau- 
tiful marriage bell consisting of some 15,000 buds and blossoms, 
hanging from the central chandelier. The time of the cere- 
mony was seven o'clock in the evening. At that hour, the 
Marine Band played the wedding march and Miss Piatt entered 
the Blue Room on the arm of President Hayes, who gave the 
bride away. * 

During Mr. McKinley's term in the White House, a wed- 
ding occurred within those historic walls concerning which so 
little was said at the time that it is not generally included as a 
White House wedding. Yet it took place within the mansion, 
the bride being a daughter of General Hastings, and a niece of 



268 Inside History oe the White House 

Mrs. McKinley. Only the immediate relatives of the families 
concerned were present. The bridegroom was an officer of the 
United States Army. 

Marriage of Four Sons of Presidents 

Four sons of Presidents were married while their fathers 
were in office, and all took their brides to the White House for 
long periods. Only one of the sons, however, of a President 
was married in the White House. John Adams, a son of Presi- 
dent John Quincy Adams, was married in the East Room. ^ 

Of the bride of this son of a President, Miss Helen Jaclo 
son, it is related that she was a frail girl, with classic features, 
and is described as "looking like an angel in her gown of white 
satin." Her health was poor at the time and the ceremonies 
were of the quietest kind. 

The remainder of the quartet of President's sons consists of 
the sons of Jackson, Van Buren and Grant. In connection with 
Jackson's adopted son and his marriage, it is said of President 
Jackson that the young man rather hurt the stern old warrior by 
slipping off and taking beautiful Sarah Yorke as his bride in 
Philadelphia. 

The third son of a President to bring a bride to the White 
House, was Major Abram Van Buren, who married Miss 
Angelia Singleton. 

"The Executive Mansion was a place of much more than 
usual attraction," reads a newspaper account published in Presi- 
dent Van Buren's day, "in consequence of the appearance there 
of the bride of the President's son, who was greatly admired." 

The fourth son was General U. S. Grant's eldest boy. Fred 
D. Colonel Grant was living in the White House when he went 
to Chicago for his bride, and they spent the first six months of 
their married life in the President's mansion. 

Marriage of Four Daughters of Presidents 

President Monroe and President Tyler had each a daugh- 
ter married in the historic mansion. 



Brides oE the: White House 269 

President Monroe's daughter, as a bride, was described at 
the time as being "the belle of Washington." 

John Quincy Adams, in his diary, tells of the marriage of 
President Monroe's daughter as follows : 

"Samuel Lawrence Gouverneur, of New York, was this day 
married to Maria Hester Monroe, the President's youngest 
daughter. The parties are cousins by the mother's side, and 
Gouverneur has been nearly two years in the President's family, 
acting as his Private Secretary. There has been some further 
question of etiquette upon this occasion. The foreign Ministers 
were uncertain whether it was expected they should pay their 
compliments on the marriage or not, and Poletica, the Russian 
Minister, made the enquiry of Mrs. Adams. She applied to 
Mrs. Hay, the President's eldest daughter, who has lived in his 
house ever since he has been President, but never visits at the 
houses of any of the foreign Ministers, because their ladies did 
not pay her first calls. Mrs. Hay thought her youngest sister 
could not receive and return visits which she herself could not 
reciprocate, and therefore that the foreign Ministers should 
take no notice of the marriage; which was accordingly com- 
municated to them." 

To which, an eye-witness of the ceremony, Mrs. Seaton, 
adds: 

"The New York style was adopted at Maria Monroe's wed- 
ding. Only the attendants, the relations and a few old friends 
of the bride and groom witnessed the ceremony, and the brides- 
maids were told that their company and services would be dis- 
pensed with until the following Tuesday, when the bride would 
receive visitors. Accordingly, all who visit at the President's 
paid their respects to Mrs. Gouverneur, who presided in her 
mother's place on this evening, while Mrs. Monroe mingled 
with the other citizens. Every visitor was led to the bride and 
introduced in all form." 

A more recent report of this most talked-about wedding of 
the period says that the first East Room wedding when Maria 
Monroe was a bride, in March, 1820, "was a gorgeous affair. 



£^^ 



270 Inside History oe the White House 

The new furnishings were the talk of the country. The 
Monroes loved style and the social whirl, had money enough to 
carry out their tastes, and were popular, hospitable folks." The 
bridegroom on that occasion, Samuel L. Gouverneur, of a 
famous New York wealthy family, was considered quite a 
"catch." but it is said he remarked just before the wedding, "I 
consider myself the luckiest young man in the republic, for the 
most adorable creature within its borders has chosen me from 
all her suitoKS to be a White House bridegroom." 

The second daughter of a President to marry in the White 
House was Miss Elizabeth Tyler, daughter of President John 
Tyler. Concerning this marriage but little of importance has 
come down to us, excepting that "Congressman William Waller 
made the President's daughter an excellent husband and 
brought to his wife much happiness." 

Of the weddings of the remaining two of the quartet of 
President's daughters, Miss Alice Roosevelt and Miss Nellie 
Grant, descriptions will be found in separate chapters. 



CHAPTER XXVII 
Bridegroom-Presidents 

ONE President, Cleveland, came to the White House a 
bachelor and took a wife while living there, the mar- 
riage ceremony being performed in the Blue Room. 

One President, Tyler, lost his first wife while a tenant of the 
White House, and took his second wife while still living there. 
The wedding ceremony, in joining President Tyler to Miss 
Julia Gardiner, was performed in New York, but the Presi- 
dent soon brought his bride to the Executive Mansion to act 
as "First Lady." 

One President, Rutherford B. Hayes, celebrated the twenty- 
fifth anniversary of his marriage at the White House by hold- 
ing a Silver Wedding. 

Each of these three events attracted nation-wide attention 
at the time. Each was chronicled in the press of the country 
as a national affair, while the whole people, in a sense, joined 
in the general rejoicing that centered at the official home of the 
head of the nation in Washington. 

The Only President Who Married in the "White House 

The wedding of President Grover Cleveland to Miss 
Frances Folsom, on June 2, 1886, was a brilliant affair, and 
stands out as the one occasion when a President married him- 
self off in the White House. Of all the weddings, says one 
account of this event, that appeared in Frank Leslie's, "none 
was so important as the Cleveland ceremony. The interest of 
the whole world was awakened by the event. Mr. Cleveland 
was the only President that received his bride in the Executive 



272 Inside History of the; White; House; 

Mansion, and his sensational political career — he being the 
first Democratic President since Buchanan — has attracted 
attention all around the globe. The charming personality of 
Miss Frances Folsom nearly equalled the interest manifested in 
the bridegroom." 

"The fair young bride entered," the same account continues, 
"like a morning sunbeam into the stately mansion which she 
was to rule as the "First Lady" of the land. In the evening, 
amid a shower of rice and old slippers, she left it as the Presi- 
dent's wife, and the couple sped away to Deer Park, in the 
Alleghany Mountains, followed by the hearty felicitations of 
60,000,000 Americans and the rulers of nearly every country 
on the globe. 

"The ceremony was performed in the Blue Room in the 
evening by the Rev. Byron Sunderland. The wedding was 
semi-private, followed by a public reception. The flower 
decorations were said to have been the most elaborate ever seen 
in the White House up to that time. As seven o'clock struck, 
the Marine Band stated Mendelssohn's wedding march, the 
first gun of a national salute boomed from the arsenal, and every 
church bell and whistle in the capital added to the din. The 
minister entered the room and found nearly fifty invited guests 
in a semicircle about the pair. 

"The ceremony," say the published accounts, "was pre- 
ceded by a wedding breakfast and an informal luncheon. The 
bride was glad to be entertained by the party, as the rush of 
public business kept the President busy. An informal supper 
for the guests was served, and then the pair slipped through 
the private Red Room entrance to a carriage. The honeymoon 
was spent in a little lodge in Deer Park, a resort in the moun- 
tains of Maryland." 

An eye-witness relates that "the silver chandelier overhead, 
and the crystal sconces on the walls at the sides of the two great 
gilt-bordered mirrors, brilliantly illuminated the scene as the 
President, with his bride leaning on his left arm, advanced to 
the centre of the room. Tall, graceful, blue-eyed and fair, 



Bridegroom-Presidents 273 

blushing like the morn beneath her misty veil, Miss Folsom 
looked an ideal American bride. Well might a President sue 
for her hand and a nation take pride in his choice. Not far 
from the bride's left stood Mrs. Folsom, and Secretary Bayard 
and Mrs. Hoyt were just beyond them. Farther along the 
semicircle were Secretary and Mrs. Whitney, with Secretary 
Endicott and Mrs. Endicott a few steps beyond. Miss Rose 
Cleveland (the President's sister), was about at the turn of 
the circle. Next to her were Secretary Lamar and Secretary 
Manning. Farther around towards the President's right, 
beyond a group of the relatives of the bride, stood Postmaster 
General and Mrs. Vilas. Closest to the President's right were 
Colonel and Mrs. Lamont, the President's secretary. Every 
one who had been invited s was present except Attorney-General 
Garland. As the bride's hand disengaged itself from the arm 
of the President they stepped slightly apart. The Rev. Dr. 
Sunderland then began the impressive ceremony, and the Rev. 
W. N. Cleveland made an invocation of blessing the pair." 

Mrs* Cleveland as a Bride 

Mrs. Cleveland was the only woman ever married in the 
White House to a President. One who was present at the cere- 
mony tells of her appearance that day : 

"Beautiful in face and form, she was a vision of loveliness 
as she stood blushing before the audience of friends gathered 
about her. Her gown was of ivory satin, with trimmings of 
Indian silk, arranged in Grecian folds over the front of the 
corsage and fastened in the folds of satin at the side. She car- 
ried no flowers and wore no jewels except her engagement ring. 
Gloves reaching to the elbow completed the perfect toilette of 
the White House bride." 

Press despatches published on the day following the wed- 
ding refer to the ceremony and bride thus : 

"The last notes of the wedding march floated in from the 
corridor. The chatter of the guests had ceased as they fell 
back toward the south end of the room and naturally arranged 



274 Inside; History oe the White House 

themselves in an irregular double line in front of the forest of 
palms and azaleas. The President, with his bride leaning on his 
left arm, advanced to about the centre, standing just beneath 
the chandelier. The groom was self-possessed and happy, and 
the bride as charming in her look of love and confidence as the 
most exacting person could have hoped. 

"The delicate profile of the bride, her shapely head and self- 
reliant carriage, all subservient to the timid look in her eyes, 
the compression of her well-formed lips and the statuesque 
firmness of her face, made the fabrics she wore a simple and 
harmonious drapery. It was the woman at whom the women 
looked rather than the dress. The two together made as lovely 
a sight as ever graced the White House. 

"The train was a marvel of graeeful arrangement, and it 
was marvelous how she handled it in a small well-filled room, 
for it was nearly as long as the room itself and would have 
reached easily from the spot where the vows were pledged into 
the corridor through which the bridal party had come, but for 
the bride's deft management, whereby it lay in a glistening coil 
at her feet." 

And to these news stories of the marriage of President 
Grover Cleveland, Doorkeeper Pendel adds the following inti- 
mate details : 

"The ceremony took place in the Blue Parlor and was a 
comparatively private function. Miss Folsom was a daughter 
of an old friend of President Cleveland and many years younger 
than he, but the marriage has proved in every respect to be a 
happy one. The officiating clergyman was the Rev. Byron 
Sunderland, whom President Cleveland had known during his 
early manhood, and at whose church the Cleveland family 
worshipped while in Washington. Miss Folsom came to 
Washington and with her mother took apartments at one of the 
prominent hotels a day or two prior to the wedding. 

"Miss Rose Cleveland, the President's sister," continues 
Doorkeeper Pendel, in his Thirty-Six Years in the White House, 
"did the honors of the White House up to the time of his mar- 



Bridegroom-Presidents 275 

riage and remained there for a time afterward. I remember the 
morning Miss Cleveland ordered the carriage to go to the depot 
to meet the intended bride, Miss Frances Folsom. It was quite 
early in the morning when she started down, found the train on 
time, and without any delay brought the intended bride to the 
Executive Mansion. I received a very pleasant smile and a 
bow from the intended bride as I opened the White House door. 
The house was put in order that day for the wedding in the 
evening. Just before the wedding, Miss Cleveland came into 
the Blue Room and requested me to light the candles in the 
two large candlesticks at each side of the mantel. They were 
married in the Blue Room parlor, right in front of the divan, 
facing north. I had the pleasure of hearing all the ceremony, 
as I stood just in the doorway, between the Blue and Red 
parlors. The Reverend Dr. Sunderland, of the First Presby- 
terian Church, performed the wedding ceremony. They then 
went upstairs, donned their traveling suits, passed down the 
grand stairway, and out of the Blue Parlor door, into the south 
portico. As they passed out rice and slippers were thrown 
after them. They spent their honeymoon at Oakland, on the 
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, above Cumberland. After their 
return the President settled down to business, and Mrs. Cleve- 
land did the honors of the White House." 

President Tyler Brings a Bride to "Washington 

"The country was excited forty years before," we are told, 
"when President Tyler married Miss Gardiner in the Church of 
the Ascension, New York, and brought her straight to Wash- 
ington, where there was a grand reception. This was the first 
Presidential wedding in our history." 

Mr. Tyler's first wife, long an invalid, died in the third year 
of her residence at the White House. President Tyler married 
again just before his retirement from office. The second Mrs. 
Tyler "was then only twenty years of age, while the President 
was fifty-five. They were quietly married in New York, and 
then repaired to Washington, so that Mrs. Tyler, who had been 



276 Inside History oe the White House 

Miss Julia Gardiner, was the first bride to enter the White 
House as its mistress." 

The difference in the ages of President Tyler and his second 
wife was greater than that between the ages of Grover Cleve- 
land and Frances Folsom. Mr. Tyler was fifty-five, while his 
bride was only twenty. In the case of the Cleveland nuptials, 
the President was forty-nine while his bride was twenty-two. 

The story of the winning of Miss Gardiner by President 
Tyler, involves a delightful romance. It is related that "in 
1844 occurred a tragedy of wide-spreading influence." It 
seems that Mr. David Gardiner, a wealthy gentleman of New 
York, had been invited with his daughter, by Captain Stockton, 
to accompany a party of the President's friends to Alexandria 
on a vessel of war. When opposite the fort, returning home, it 
was proposed to fire a gun called "the peacemaker" as a salute. 
The Secretary of War pretended to be nervous, and saying-, "I 
don't like this ; I believe I shall run," walked to the other end of 
the boat and thus narrowly saved his life, for the gun exploded, 
killing the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of State 
and Mr. Gardiner and two other gentlemen. John Tyler, Jr., 
was escorting the wife of the Secretary of the Navy to the cabin 
and escaped the accident. "The President, himself, was below 
with the ladies, and witnessed the fortitude and dignity with 
which Miss Gardiner bore the news of her overwhelming sor- 
row. Admiration for her self-control at that hour grew to a 
warmer attachment, and ended in her becoming the President's 
bride." 

President Hayes* Silver Wedding 

During the residence of President and Mrs. Hayes in the 
White House they celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of 
their marriage by giving a silver wedding. This was the first 
celebration of the kind in the history of the Executive Man- 
sion. From an account of the festivities on that occasion, as 
related in the Washington reminiscences of Mr. Benjamin 
Perley Poore, the following facts are given : 

The vestibule, the halls and the State apartments were 




IN THE SPACIOUS WHITE HOUSE CORRIDORS 




THE WHITE HOUSE. AND EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING 



Bridegroom-Presidents 279 

elaborately trimmed with bunting and running vines. In the 
East Room at the doors and in the corners and alcoves tropical 
plants were clustered in profusion. The mantels were banked 
with bright colored cut flowers, smilax was entwined in the 
huge glass chandeliers, and everywhere throughout the room 
were stands of potted plants. Over the main entrance was 
the national coat-of-arms and just opposite two immense flags, 
hanging from ceiling to floor, completely covered the large win- 
dow. The Green, the Red and the Blue Parlor was similarly 
decorated, the flowers used being chiefly azaleas, hyacinths 
and roses. 

The members of the Cabinet and their families were the 
official personages invited to the celebration, and with them 
were a few old friends from Ohio. A delegation of the regi- 
ment which Mr. Hayes commanded, the Twenty-third Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry brought a beautiful silver offering. 

The Marine Band precisely at nine o'clock struck up Men- 
delssohn's "Wedding March," and President Hayes, with his 
wife on his arm, came down the stairs, followed by members of 
the family and the special guests, two by two. The procession 
passed through the inner vestibule into the East Room, where 
the President and Mrs. Hayes stationed themselves, with their 
backs to the flag-draped window. There they remained until 
the invited guests had paid their congratulations. Mrs. 
Mitchell, the daughter of the President's sister, Mrs. Piatt, 
stood beside Mrs. Hayes and clasped her hand, as she did when 
a child, during the marriage ceremony, twenty-five years 
before. 

Mrs. Hayes wore a white silk dress, with draperies of white 
brocade, each headed with two rows of tasseled fringe, and with 
a full plaiting at the sides and bottom on the front breadth. 
The heart-shaped neck was filled in with tulle, and the half long 
sleeves had a deep ruching of lace. Her hair, in plain bands, 
was knotted at the back and fastened with a silver comb while 
white kid gloves and white slippers completed the bridal 
array. 



280 Inside History of the White House 

The Rev. Dr. McCabe, who had married Mr. Hayes and 
Miss Webb twenty-five years before, was present. 

The President and Mrs. Hayes led the way into the State 
dining-room, which had been elaborately decked for the occa- 
sion with cut flowers and plants. The table was adorned with 
pyramids of confectionery, fancy French dishes and ices in 
moulds. The bill of fare included every delicacy in the way 
of eatables ; but no beverage except coffee. Several guns 
boomed out a salute to the new year at midnight and then the 
company dispersed. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 
Romance of Nellie Grant 

THE two most romantic weddings in the White House, aside 
from the Cleveland wedding, was first, the one that took 
place during the administration of President Grant, when 
his daughter, Ella Wrenshall Grant, better known as Nellie 
Grant, married Algernon Sartoris. This now celebrated event 
took place in the East Room on the twenty-first of May, 1874. 
The second of these romantic weddings was that of Miss Alice 
Roosevelt and Nicholas Longworth, which took place on Febru- 
ary 17, 1906, and is still fresh in the memory of all newspaper 
readers. 

Grant's Daughter a White House Bride 

When Nellie Grant came to the altar to be married to Alger- 
non Sartoris, the occasion was spoken of as a marriage of the 
"first young woman of the land" with an Englishman who had 
an income of $60,000 a year — a fortune in those days. His 
father had been a member of Parliament. 

"Young Sartoris," says one account, "was dashing in his 
manner. He fell in love with the President's daughter when 
they met on a steamer bound from England to New York. He 
was nearly twenty-two years old, while Nellie Grant was barely 
seventeen. The young girl was very fond of the Englishman, 
it was nearly eighteen months before the couple could win the 
consent of the President." 

During the ceremony, the bride and groom stood under a 
huge floral bell, with a background of flowers filling a window 
behind them. There were six bridesmaids, and General Grant 
gave away his daughter with ill-concealed emotion. 



282 Inside History of the White House 

The East Room, it is said, was decked for the wedding with 
real orange-blossoms from the South. The lace alone on the 
bride's dress cost $1,500. The young couple advanced to the 
embrace of the great eastern window (where hung an enor- 
mous floral bell), along an aisle formed by army and navy 
officers in glittering uniforms. There were six couples in 
attendance. The bride's friend, Miss Annie Barnes, daughter 
of the then Surgeon-General, was maid of honor. 

In giving here the story of this famous wedding, we cannot 
do better than quote from the accounts, from different view- 
points, written by reporters and other eye-witnesses who were 
present. One such historian of the time tells us that a "floral 
wedding bell was suspended directly over the raised platform 
on which the bridal party was to stand," and that "the window 
shades were closely drawn so as to render more effective the 
hundreds of lights which glistened from the crystal chandeliers, 
which formerly illuminated the State apartment." 

Several hundred guests, the New York Herald informs us, 
including members of the Cabinet, the Diplomatic Corps, officers 
of the army and navy in full uniform, members of Congress, the 
Judiciary and out-of-town guests were present. The ceremony 
was performed by the Rev. O. H. Tiffany, pastor of the Metro- 
politan Methodist Episcopal Church, where the President and 
his family worshiped. Colonel Frederick Dent Grant, brother 
of the bride, was best man, and the bride was attended by eight 
bridesmaids, including, besides Miss Barnes, Miss Carpenter, 
daughter of Senator "Mat'" Carpenter, and Miss Lena Porter, 
a daughter of Admiral Porter. 

Nellie Grant's "Wedding Ceremony 

Another correspondent, one sent to the White House by Mr. 
Frank Leslie, says that fully three hundred invitations to the 
ceremony had been issued, but less than two hundred persons 
were present. Among them were officials, army and navy offi- 
cers and their families, the diplomatic families, A. T. Stewart, 
and other intimate friends of the Grants. 



Romance of Nfxuf, Grant 283. 

The immediate bridal party, continues the Leslie corre- 
spondent, stood on the dais built before the big east windows. 
At eleven o'clock the procession entered. Air. Sartoris and 
Colonel Fred Grant, the best man, stood at the foot, the latter 
in uniform. Dr. O. H. Tiffany, of the Metropolitan M. E. 
Church, was on the dais. First came the bridesmaids, Misses 
Conkling, Frelinghuysen, Porter, Sherman, Drexel, Dent, 
Barnes and Fish, followed by Mrs. Grant and her sons, Ulysses 
and Jesse. Then came the bride on the arm of her father. Mr. 
Sartoris moved forward, took the bride from her father, and the 
two stepped upon the dais, the bridesmaids forming a semi- 
circle. The breakfast that followed is said to have surpassed 
any spread in the White House up to that time. The couple 
then went to New York in a special car and sailed for Europe 
in a few days. The presents were valued at $60,000. 

Daily press despatches of that day gave these further facts : 
"The floral decorations of the public rooms were marvelous 
in their beauty and profusion. Above the platform there were 
the heaviest festoons of the whitest flowers — tuberoses, lilies of 
the valley, spirea and other choice varieties, lending a perfume 
to the room that was almost oppressive in its sweetness. Above 
the heads of the couple, suspended by a thread of flowers, was 
a large bell formed wholly of the rarest of white flowers — a 
present from New York friends. In the Green Room, a bank 
of the same rare flowers was formed on an oval table. A stand 
of pot plants, exquisite in their beauty and arrangement, reached 
far from one side of the East Room to the ceiling, and wherever 
flowers and evergreens could be placed, there they were." 

Doorkeeper PendePs Story of the Grant Nuptials 
Thomas F. Pendel, White House doorkeeper for nearly 
forty years, right up to the time of the second great romantic 
wedding of the White House when Alice Roosevelt became a 
bride, used to love to regale visitors to the Mansion with the 
details of the Grant wedding. He pointed out the exact posi- 
tion of the bridal party, and most of the women visitors still 



284 Inside; History oe the White House 

regard it as a special privilege to be permitted to sit on a divan 
which marks the spot in the East Room where Miss Grant stood 
during the ceremony. 

Particularly interesting is the intimate account of what hap- 
pened in the White House following the ceremony, as related 
by Doorkeeper Pendel in his Thirty-Six Years in the White 
House: 

"The wedding was a grand affair," says Mr. Pendel. "Miss 
Nellie was married in the East Room, right in the centre of the 
three windows on the east side. The four large columns sup- 
porting the girders were all entwined with the beautiful 
National colors. Palms and other plants were artistically 
placed about the room, the windows were closed, and the room 
was brilliantly lighted. The effect was beautiful in the extreme. 
The procession formed upstairs in the western portion of the 
building. There were twelve bridesmaids. All marched down 
the grand stairway, in the west end of the building, through 
into the East Room where, as I said before, the ceremony took 
place. In a line with the grand corridor there were a naval 
officer and an army officer on one side and a naval officer and an 
army officer on the other side, who held blue and white ribbons 
parallel with the white pillars, up to where the ceremony took 
place. After the ceremony was all over the invited guests 
repaired to the Red Parlor; that is, the ladies did, and I had 
the pleasure of presenting to them the wedding-cake — put up 
in little white boxes about six inches long and three inches 
wide — for them to dream on, that those who were single might 
dream of their future husbands. 

"After Miss Nellie had sailed for Europe, one night after 
dinner, the President took a walk down town, and everybody 
had left the house with the exception of Mrs. Grant, Jerry 
Smith, the old colored duster and myself. When the Presi- 
dent had been gone probably fifteen minutes, Mrs. Grant, who 
was sitting in the Blue Parlor, seemed very lonesome. She 
called me away from the front door to come in near the Blue 
Parlor door and be seated, as the house was perfectly deserted, 



Romance oi? Neuje Grant 285 

except for us three. While I was there the conversation 
turned to Miss Nellie. I said to her, 'I am very sorry Mrs. 
Grant, that Miss Nellie has gone away. We all miss her very 
much'. Mrs. Grant spoke up and said, 'Yes, but we will have 
her back home again'. I chatted with her until the President 
returned and then took my post again at the front door." 



CHAPTER XXIX 
Romance of Alice Roosevelt 

OF ALL the White House weddings in a hundred years 
none created so much interest among high and low 
throughout the civilized world as that at which the 
eldest daughter of President Roosevelt, Miss Alice, was 
united to Congressman Nicholas Longworth, of Cincinnati. 
The officiating clergyman on that occasion was Bishop Sat- 
terlee, of Washington. After the ceremony the bridal pair 
went to Friendship Lodge, the country place of Mrs. John R. 
McLean, in the suburbs of Washington, for the honeymoon. 
This most notable of all White House social events occurred 
on the seventeenth of February, 1906. 

The Roosevelt-Longworth "Wedding Ceremony 

The decorations at the wedding were alone of a value suf- 
ficient for a king's ransom. The ceremony took place in the 
East Room, in front of one of the windows which was draped 
with cloth of gold rimmed with curtains, the whole being orna- 
mented with ropes of smilax and Easter lilies. 

The bride and bridegroom stood on a raised platform, or 
dais, where all present could see the happy pair. On the plat- 
form under their feet were priceless Oriental rugs. And at 
the rear of the platform was a little improvised altar, just large 
enough for Bishop Satterlee to conduct the service. 

When the bride entered the East Room on the arm of her 
father, the President, to proceed to the improvised altar, she 
advanced down an aisle formed by means of two ropes of white 
ribbon. The East Room was otherwise divided into two com- 



Romance o£ Alice Roosevelt 287 

partments, as it were, the one for the Cabinet and members of 
the Diplomatic Corps and their families and intimate friends 
of the Roosevelt family, and the other for the hundreds of 
other invited guests. 

Over a thousand invitations had been sent out, and hence 
the East Room was crowded to its utmost capacity. Only 
those who saw the apartment before the arrival of the crowd 
could appreciate to the full the arrangements made for the 
comfort of those present. It was a scene that could be com- 
pared with no event at the White House within the memory of 
the oldest attache of the mansion. 

Alice Roosevelt Cut the "Wedding Cake With a Sabre 

An eye-witness, a correspondent of the New York Herald, 
relates this very interesting incident that occurred shortly 
after the wedding ceremony : 

"And now occurred one of the most typical incidents of the 
day, something which probably no one but a young woman as 
original and unconventional as young Mrs. Longworth ever 
would have thought of doing. 

"Alongside the cake was a knife, and at first Mrs. Long- 
worth thought to cut the cake with this, but the glazing either 
offered more resistance than she expected or the knife was 
dull. Anyway, the cutting proceeded much too slowly for a 
young woman of her impulsive disposition, and gaily turning 
to Major McCawley, she called out, 'Oh, Major let me have 
your sword to cut the cake with'. 

"The Major, who is too au fait to be surprised at any- 
thing, promptly drew his sword, and gallantly taking it by the 
blade, extended the hilt to her. It happened to be a sabre and 
admirably adapted to the purpose, and when Mrs. Longworth 
brandished it aloft and began slashing the cake with it the 
slices fell right and left, and great was the scramble among her 
friends for it. It melted away like snow under a hot sun, and 
within marvelously few minutes after the first stroke of Major 
McCawlev's sabre not a crumb of it was to be had." 



288 Inside History oe the White House 

Presents From Kings to "Princess Alice." 

"Princess Alice," as the President's daughter was popu- 
larly called at the time, received more presents than even a 
fairy princess could expect. These wedding gifts came from 
every civilized country on the globe, and among them were 
costly and rare objects of art and utility from all the crowned 
heads of Europe and Asia. 

To give only a partial list of the gifts that "Princess Alice" 
received from the members of the royal families and the fam- 
ilies of rulers, the following may be mentioned : 

From the Empress of China, a unique and interesting dower 
chest in carved Oriental wood, divided on the inside into com- 
partments, containing embroideries, Oriental perfumes and 
curios. 

From the President of France, a very fine piece of Gobelin 
tapestry, valued at $25,000. It was a replica of one of the four 
pieces in the National Gallery. It was called "The Manu- 
script," and represented a woman clad in classical robes over 
looking a manuscript on a lectern in front of her. "The back- 
ground was a section of Gothic architecture. This was woven 
by the chief weaver in the Gobelin works." 

The King of Italy remembered the bride with a handsome 
table of Florentine mosaic, the design showing scenes from 
Italian cities. 

The Emperor of Japan sent a silver box of carved silver, 
containing embroideries, silks and other typical gifts. 

From Pope Pius X. there was mosaic, a copy of a painting 
in the Vatican collection. 

From President Loubet of France came two Sevres vases. 

From King Alfonso of Spain was received a curious and 
choice piece of antique jewelry. 

The people of Cuba sent a very costly gift, valued at 
$25,000. It was a pearl necklace, "a gift from the people and 
not the government, and was a mark of appreciation of the 
services rendered to their country by the Americans, and by 
Mr. Roosevelt, who himself fought for Cuban liberty." 



CHAPTER XXX 
Entertaining at the White House 

UP TO the coming of President McKinley to the White 
House the entertainments at the mansion were com- 
paratively simple and unpretentious. This simplicity 
was consistent with the family life and traditions of most of 
the Presidents. When Mr. McKinley was inaugurated for the 
second time, however, we had just finished a war which had 
made this nation a world power. The population had greatly 
increased, importance had suddenly come to us in international 
affairs, and social life in Washington had become correspond- 
ingly complex. Hence with Mr. McKinley began more elabor- 
ate entertainments at the White House. 

When Mr. Roosevelt came to the White House, the neces- 
sity for entertaining on a large scale had become imperative. 
Yet even to-day the President cannot entertain on as extensive 
a scale as the conditions of social life in Washington demand, 
for the reason that even the remodeled White House is not 
large enough to be equal to the requirements. 

Nevertheless, social life at the White House under Presi- 
dent Roosevelt is indeed one of tremendous activity. Wash- 
ington correspondents report that Mrs. Roosevelt and the 
wives of the members of the President's Cabinet form the 
nucleus around which the brilliant social life of the Capital 
revolves, and their presence and personality are of interest all 
over the land. Peculiar dignity is given to State receptions by 
the presence of the Cabinet women as aids to Mrs. Roosevelt 
in receiving the invited guests. 

Even as far back as the time when Mrs. U. S. Grant, the 
widow of the great General, was still living in Washington, 



290 Inside; History of the; White; House; 

the social life in Washington made such heavy demands upon 
the women of official and private life that Mrs. Grant was 
inspired to give out the following: 

"I will most cordially indorse a concerted movement on the 
part of the social leaders of Washington to arrange that the 
hours now given to evening entertainments shall be fewer, and 
so more in accordance with the laws of nature. 

"Mothers of young girls now absolutely dread their 
entrance into society because of the great drain on their 
strength which social life means. 

"I think the older members of the world of fashion can 
obviate all this. Have no entertainment, dance, dinner or 
reception which will extend later than midnight." 

Music at the White House 

Music in one form or another has always been a feature of 
the White House entertainments, especially when the ladies 
received. Operatic singers have appeared from time to time, 
as well as great pianists and violinists. By the time Mrs. 
McKinley came to the mansion, the musical entertainments had 
become more or less formal and certain evenings were set 
aside for musicales to which Mrs. McKinley invited a large 
number of guests. 

The origin of these musicales was the weekly reception 
given by Mrs. Washington. Gradually this weekly reception 
was abandoned and a weekly musicale took its place. Mrs. 
Roosevelt, during the administration of her husband, has given 
a musicale nearly every Friday evening during each winter 
season — the occasion embracing a concert and reception pre- 
ceded by a dinner. 

Mrs. Roosevelt's guests at these Friday evening gather- 
ings have numbered from two to five hundred. They have 
usually been received by their hostess in the Green Room, Mrs. 
Roosevelt being unassisted except for the services of Colonel 
Bromwell, the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, who 
introduced the guests. 



Entertaining at the; White House 291 

Usually when the concert begins the President himself 
enters the room — the musicale being held in the East Room — 
and remains until the rendering of the last number on the pro- 
gram. After the program of the evening is over the President 
arises, shakes hands with the singers or performers, and 
tenders his thanks. When the music is rendered by an orches- 
tra, the President thanks the leader. 

Following the concert refreshments are served, and both 
the President and Mrs. Roosevelt then mingle informally with 
the guests. 

During President Arthur's administration, Madame Patti 
sang in the White House on Washington's Birthday, 1883. 
President Arthur was extremely fond of any form of musical 
entertainment, and in February, 1882, he invited the Fisk 
Jubilee Troupe to sing for him and his guests, the singers 
being colored people, all celebrated for their originality of 
entertainment. 

The White House Piano ^ 

The wife of President John Adams, Abigail Adams, brought 
with her to the White House, her harp, her guitar and her 
piano. Her's, then, was the first piano in the President's 
house. 

Since then one or more pianos have formed a part of 
the equipment of the Presidential mansion under each 
administration. 

The piano of to-day is a very beautiful instrument, a grand, 
presented to the White House, in 1903, by a famous manu- 
facturer of New York. It is of sweetest tone, stands in the 
East Room where the musicales are given, and is the finest 
that the craft can produce. Every inch of the instrument is 
overlaid with gold. Shields embracing the arms of the Thir- 
teen Original States are part of the decorations on the body of 
the instrument. This grand piano has, of course, three legs. 
These are in the form of eagles with wide-spreading wings, 
their outspread talons forming a firm base for the support of 
the instrument. 



292 Inside History oe the White House 

Dancing and Other Amusements 

Dancing at the White House has been alternately per- 
mitted and forbidden in the last sixty years, according to the 
wish in this respect of each President or of the members of 
his family. In President Tyler's time, dancing took place on 
various festive occasions, Letitia Taylor, the President's daugh- 
ter, writing to her friends about how she enjoyed "our Vir- 
ginia reels at the President's house." 

It was during Mrs. Polk's occupancy that dancing was dis- 
continued at White House functions. It was not resumed as 
a regular practice until Benjamin Harrison and his daughter, 
Mrs. McKee, came to the White House. 

"During the Harrison administration," says Doorkeeper 
Pendel, "Mrs. McKee gave a ball in the East Room for the 
young ladies and gentlemen of her acquaintance. The room 
was decorated very nicely, and it was a fine affair. Everything 
passed off charmingly, and everybody, when the ball was over, 
seemed to be happy." 

That was the second and last ball given in the White House 
until President Roosevelt's administration, when a formal 
dance was given for Miss Alice Roosevelt. The first ball is 
mentioned in the chapter telling of "Royal and Titled Guests," 
under the heading of "President Tyler's Titled Guests." 

During the Buchanan administration, dancing was forbid- 
den at the White House. When the Prince of Wales spent a 
week in the mansion as President Buchanan's guest, he 
expressed a boyish wish to dance, but, according to press 
accounts, "in only this one thing was he repressed, and this he 
laughingly protested against, while he gracefully submitted. 
He loved dancing, and the presence of the Marine Band and the 
dimensions of the East Room combined to make it possible to 
enjoy this pastime in the White House. The President, while 
he approved of dancing as a pastime, and liked to look upon it 
as a spectacle, would not consent to shock his sense of pro- 
priety. The Prince good-naturedly acquiesced and the young 
people did their dancing at the home of the British Minister." 



Entertaining at the White House 293 

Billiard playing has formed the pastime of various mem- 
bers of Presidential families ever since the White House was 
occupied by John Quincy Adams. Mr. Adams' son, Charles, 
was the first to introduce a billiard table to the mansion. The 
table was bought by the young man personally and set up at 
his own expense. 

The Question of Temperance 

Whether or not wine shall be served at the Presidential 
table has been a much discussed question ever since President 
Madison was a tenant at the White House. Mr. Madison held 
very rigid temperance principles, and it it said of him that he 
was defeated in a certain political campaign "because he would 
not buy drink for thirsty voters." 

Of all the White House tenants who have strictly forbidden 
the use of wine at the White House table, the most persistent 
in adhering to the principles of temperance was Mrs. Ruther- 
ford B. Hayes. To honor Mrs. Hayes for her total abstinence 
rules and their enforcement, a portrait of her was presented 
to the White House by the Women's Christian Temperance 
Union. This picture now adorns the walls of one of the rooms 
in the mansion. It was painted by Daniel Huntington, and 
shows Mrs. Hayes wearing a dark red velvet dress and holding 
a bunch of roses in her hand. 

President Hayes' own views of total abstinence at the 
White House, as insisted upon by Mrs. Hayes, were pub- 
lished upon his retirement from the Presidency, and are now 
extremely interesting as coming from the one who was once the 
head of the Nation. Says Mr. Hayes : 

"When I became President I was fully convinced that what- 
ever might be the case in other countries and with people, in 
our climate and with the excitable nervous temperament of 
our people, the habitual use of intoxicating drinks was not 
safe. I regarded the danger of the habit as especially great 
in political and official life. It seemed to me that to exclude 
liquors from the White House would be wise and useful as an 



294 Inside History of the White House 

example, and would be approved by good people generally. 
The suggestion was particularly agreeable to Mrs. Hayes. 
She had been a total abstinence woman from childhood. We 
had never used liquors in our own home, and it was determined 
to continue our home customs in our official residence in 
Washington." 




THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE BUILDING 




INTERIOR. VIEW OF THE MAIN OFFICE 



CHAPTER XXXI 
Etiquette and Precedence 

GEORGE WASHINGTON saw the necessity which would 
confront his successors, as well as himself, for some plan 
regulating the etiquette at the White House entertain- 
ments, dinners, receptions and the like. Upon consulting 
Alexander Hamilton, he received from Hamilton the following 
formal "Code of Procedure," which, with certain broad changes, 
has governed every President from Washington to Roosevelt. 

I. The President to have a levee once a week for receiving 
visits ; an hour to be fixed at which it shall be understood that 
he will appear, and consequently that the visitors are to be pre- 
viously assembled. The President to remain half an hour, in 
which time he may converse cursorily on different subjects, 
with such persons as shall invite his attention, and at the end 
of that half hour disappear. A mode of introduction through 
particular officers will be indispensable. No visits to be re- 
turned. 

2. The President to accept no invitations, and to give formal 
entertainments only twice or four times a year, the anni- 
versaries of important events in the Revolution. If twice on 
the day of the Declaration of Independence, and that on the 
day of the Inauguration of the President, which completed the 
organization of the Constitution, to be preferred; if four 
times, the day of the treaty of alliance with France, and that of 
the definitive treaty with Great Britain to be added. The mem- 
bers of the two houses of the Legislature ; principal officers of 
the Government; foreign ministers, and other distinguished 
strangers only to be invited. The President on levee days, 



298 Inside History oe the White House 

either by himself or some gentleman of his household to give 
invitations to family dinners on the days of invitation. Not 
more than six or eight to be invited at a time, and the matter 
to be confined essentially to members of the Legislature and 
other official characters. The President never to remain long 
at the table. 

Washington's Conception of Official Etiquette 

Among the records of the social customs of George Wash- 
ington, as President, in Philadelphia, the following vivid and 
detailed description is given : 

"He devoted an hour every other Tuesday from three to 
four to visits. He understood himself to be visited as the 
President of the United States, and not on his own account. 
He was not to be seen by anybody and everybody ; but required 
that every one who came should be introduced by his Secretary,- 
or by some gentleman, whom he knew himself. He lived on 
the south side of Chestnut Street, just below Sixth. The place 
of reception was the dining-room in the rear, twenty-five or 
thirty feet in length, including the bow projecting into the 
garden. Mrs. Washington received her visitors in the two 
rooms on the second floor. 

"At three o'clock, or at any time within a quarter of an 
hour afterwards, the visitor was conducted to this dining-room, 
from which all seats had been removed for the time. On enter- 
ing one saw the tall, manly figure of Washington clad in black 
velvet ; his hair in full dress, powdered and gathered behind in 
a large silk bag ; yellow gloves on his hands ; holding a cocked 
hat with a cockade on it, and the edges adorned with a black 
feather about an inch deep. He wore knee and shoe buckles ; 
and a long sword, with a finely wrought and polished steel hilt, 
which appeared at the left hip ; the coat worn over the blade, 
and appearing from under the folds behind. The scabbard was 
white polished leather. 

"He always stood in front of the fireplace, with his face 
towards the door of entrance. The visitor was conducted to 



Etiquette; and Precedence 299 

him, and he required to have the name so distinctly pronounced 
that he could hear it. He had the very uncommon faculty of 
associating a man's name and personal appearance so durably 
in his memory as to be able to call any one by name who made 
•him a second visit. He received his visitor with a dignified 
bow, while his hands were so disposed of as to indicate that 
the salutation was not to be accompanied with shaking hands. 
This ceremony never occurred in those visits, even with his 
most near friends, that no distinction might be made. 

"As visitors came in, they formed a circle around the room. 
At a quarter past three, the door was closed, and the circle 
was formed for that day. He then began on the right and 
spoke to each visitor, calling him by name and exchanging a 
few words with him. When he had completed his circuit, he 
resumed his first position, and the visitors approached him, in 
succession, bowed and retired. By four o'clock this ceremony 
was over. 

"On the evenings when Mrs. Washington received visitors, 
he did not consider himself as visited. He was then as a 
private gentleman, dressed usually in some colored coat and 
waistcoat (the only one recollected was brown, with bright 
buttons), and black on his lower limbs. He had then neither 
hat nor sword ; he moved about among the company, conversing 
with one another. He had once a fortnight an official dinner, 
and select companies on other days. He sat (it is said), at the 
side, in a central position, Mrs. Washington opposite ; the two 
ends were occupied by members of his family, or by per- 
sonal friends." 

Such, then, with modifications, is the basis upon which 
some of the rules of etiquette are in force in the White House 
to-day. 

Jefferson's Simple Social Forms 

Thomas Jefferson, with his ideas of simplicity, abolished 
some of the more formal of the rules, stopping entirely the 
formal weekly receptions, or levees, and the State receptions. 
Among the quaintest of Mr. Jefferson's rules is the one wherein 



300 Inside History of the: White House 

it is stated that "gentlemen offering their arms to ladies and 
going in to dinner in any order of rank or honor is pro- 
hibited." 

The Order of Precedence To-day 

The order of precedence has always been a source of some 
embarrassment and a great deal of discussion among those 
invited to the White House. Among Cabinet Ministers and 
their wives, and among the foreign diplomats, especially, the 
question has sometimes caused amusing complications. 

In the Roosevelt administration, however, in order to settle 
this long standing question of precedence — that is, the question 
of who, by reason of rank, shall precede another at White 
House entertainments — the United States Government estab- 
lished a set of rules embracing an "order of precedence" for 
those in official life, as follows : 

The President, the Vice-President, the foreign Ambassa- 
dors, the Secretary of State, the foreign envoys and plenipoten- 
tiaries, the Chief Justice, the President pro tern, of the Senate 
(only upon the death of a Vice-President and the consequent 
election of a President pro tern, of the Senate does he precede 
the Speaker of the House) ; Cabinet Secretaries, other than the 
Secretary of State ; Foreign Ministers-resident, Associate Jus- 
tices of the Supreme Court, the Admiral of the Navy, Senators, 
Governors of States, Representatives in Congress, the Chief of 
Staff of the Army, Foreign Charges d' Affaires, Major Generals 
of the Army, Rear Admirals, Foreign Secretaries of Embassy 
and Legation, Assistant Secretaries of the Executive Depart- 
ments, Judges of the Court of Claims, Secretary of the Smith- 
sonian Institution, District Commissioners, District Court of 
Appeals, District Supreme Court, Brigadier-Generals, Cap- 
tains in the Navy, Director of Bureau of American Republics, 
Army and Navy Officers below army brigadiers and navy cap- 
tains, Foreign guests in private life, untitled, American guests 
in private life. 

For the wives of the officials named, the order of pre- 
cedence is precisely the same as in their husbands, thus : 



Etiquette and Precedence 301 

The wife of the President, who is exempt from returning 
visits. 

The wives of Ambassadors in the order of their official 
recognition. These ladies make the first call upon the wife 
of the President and the Vice-President, but upon no others. 

The wives of envoys plenipotentiary, who should make the 
initial visits on those ranking above them : 

The wife of the Chief Justice. 

The wife of the Speaker of the House. 

The wives of Cabinet Ministers other than the Secretary of 
State. 

The wives of Foreign Ministers-resident. 

The wives of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. 

The wife of the Admiral of the Navy. 

The wives of Senators. 

The wives of Governors of States. 

The wives of Representatives in Congress; and so on, to 
the end of the order of procedure as given for the officials. 



CHAPTER XXXII 

Early-Day "Drawing-rooms" and Levees 
President Monroe's "Drawing-rooms" 

IN PRESIDENT MONROE'S time, the regular weekly 
receptions were called a "drawing-rooms," of which a cor- 
respondent for a newspaper of the time informs us that : 
"The secretaries, senators, foreign ministers, consuls, audi- 
tors, accountants, officers of the army and navy of every 
grade, farmers, merchants, parsons, priests, lawyers, judges, 
auctioneers and nothingarians — all with their wives and some 
with their gawky offspring, crowd to the President's house 
every Wednesday evening; some in shoes, most in boots and 
many in spurs. Some with powdered heads, others frizzled 
and oiled, whose heads a comb has never touched, and which 
are half-hid by dirty collars (reaching far above their ears), 
as stiff as pasteboard." 

President J» Q* Adams as the Nation's Host 

That President John Quincy Adams was not over delighted 
with his duties as the host of the White House, is suggested by 
an entry he made in his diary, in the winter of 1828, which reads : 

"This evening was the sixth drawing-room. Very much 
crowded ; sixteen Senators, perhaps sixty members of the 
House of Representatives and multitudes of strangers — among 
whom were the Institutors of Deaf and Dumb from Philadel- 
phia, New York and Hartford. The heat was oppressive and 
these parties are becoming more and more insupportable 
to me." 



Eari<y-Day "Drawing-Rooms" and Levees 303 

President Van Buren's "Drawing-room" 

An account of a "drawing-room" given by President Van 
Buren on the night of March 8, 1838 — his first reception follow- 
ing his inauguration — is given by an Englishman, a visiting 
Member of Parliament, James Silk Buckingham, who says : 

"We went about nine o'clock with the family of Colonel 
Gardiner, who is attached to the public service here, and found 
the company already assembled in great numbers. The official 
residence of the President is a large and substantial mansion. 

"The whole air of the Mansion and its accompaniments is 
that of unostentatious comfort, without parade or display, and 
therefore well adapted to the simplicity and economy which is 
characteristic of the Republican institutions of the country. 

"The President received his visitors standing, in the centre 
of a small oval room, the entrance to which was directly from 
the hall on the ground-floor. The introductions were made by 
the City Marshal, who announced the names of the parties ; 
and each, after shaking hands with the President, and 
exchanging a few words of courtesy, passed into the adjoining 
rooms to make way for others. The President, Mr. Van 
Buren, is about sixty years of age, is a little below the middle 
stature, and of very bland and courteous manners; he was 
dressed in a plain suit of black; the Marshal was habited also 
in a plain suit, and there were neither guards about the gate, 
nor sentries within, nor a single servant or attendant in livery 
anywhere visible. 

"The dresses of the ladies were some of them elegant, but 
generally characterized by simplicity ; and jewels were scarcely 
at all worn. The party, therefore, though consisting of not 
less than 2,000 persons, was much less brilliant than a drawing- 
room in England, or than a fashionable soiree in Paris ; but it 
was far more orderly and agreeable than any party of an 
equal number that I ever remember to have attended in 
Europe. 

"There being no rank (for the President himself is but 
a simple citizen, filling a certain office for a certain term), there 



304 Inside History of the White House 

was no question of precedence, and no thought, as far as I 
could discover, of comparison as to superiority. Every one 
present acted as though he felt himself to be on a footing of 
equality with every other person ; and if claims of preference 
were thought of at all, they were tested only by the standard 
of personal services, or personal merits." 

President Polk Holds a Levee 

In the days when dancing was forbidden at the Presidential 
receptions, President Polk held a levee, a full account of which 
was written by an eye-witness, saying : 

"The sudden transition from the darkness outside to the 
brilliant glare within is not without its effect in impressing one 
with a magnificent idea of the ceremony through which he is 
about to pass, and these grand anticipations are considerably 
heightened by the spirit-stirring music, proceeding from an 
entire band of the U. S. Marines. 

"Ranged in an irregular group at one end stands a bevy of 
beautiful women whose milliners have sent them forth in fit 
trim to challenge the rainbow for the exquisiteness and variety 
of colors in which they are decked, while on their heads and 
bosoms glittering brilliants recline like nestling glow-worms, 
darting forth rays of light in dazzling emulation. A loud hum 
of conversation and a continued peal of laughter add some- 
what to the confusion of your mind, and it is some minutes 
before you are sufficiently collected to note all around. Then 
on the right side of the room you will perceive fifty or sixty 
gentlemen standing up in silence, and looking on the busy 
group around the ladies; these gentlemen have no particular 
business there — they look upon the whole affair as a national 
show got up for their express gratification — admission gratis. 
In the centre of the room stands the President, willing to shake 
as many people by the hand as may be presented to him while 
his strength lasts ; and a fine, gentlemanly man he is. 

"At his right hand you will probably discover Mr. Marcy, 
the Secretary of War. There is also Mr. Dallas, performing 



Early-Day "Drawing-Rooms" and Levees 305 

acts of civility with the air of a perfect courtier to every one. 
Behind the President stands Mrs. Polk, whom I will uphold on 
any and every occasion of your attending the levee to be one of 
the finest women in the room. You will probably find her sup- 
ported by an elderly lady in a black turban, who, you will know 
at once, is Mrs. Madison ; behind them will be twenty or thirty 
young ladies standing at ease. 

"Presently your friend will present you to a gentleman 
standing near the President, who will introduce you. Mr. 
Polk will shake your hand, 'be happy to know you'. Having 
gone through this important ceremony, you fall back among 
the crowd of lookers-on, and watch the entrance of visitors. 
There is considerable amusement attending this, and much 
information to be obtained in the art of shaking hands politely. 

"It is not necessary to be informed to which party a mem- 
ber of either house belongs when you see his presentation. 
Some with a kind of stately humility touch the Presidential 
fingers and smile in languid respect. Others grasp the Execu- 
tive dexter hand with a Democratic heartiness and an air of 
merry complacency. And a few wring the magisterial right 
hand in an imploring manner— look earnestly in the President's 
face and stay to converse with him for a few minutes, to let the 
assembled crowd learn that they are on terms of intimacy with 
so great a man. 

"While noting all these things you have been elbowed by 
the crowd to a doorway, where a policeman seizes you by the 
elbow and says in a slow, effective manner: 'Gentlemen who 
have been presented, will please walk forward to the East 
Room — don't stop up the passage'. 

"To the East Room you repair, then, and find a spacious 
apartment splendidly furnished and brilliantly illuminated. 
There is comparative stillness here; the conversation is more 
moderate. The great amusement of the evening now com- 
mences ; all before has been merely preparatory. This popular 
court pastime consists in solemnly promenading round the 
room in pairs. 



306 Inside History oe the White House 

"Senators, Ministers, Congressmen, mechanics, clerks and 
would-be clerks are there, leading ladies belonging to every 
stage in society, from the fashionable belle of the higher circles 
to the more fashionable seamstress. Solemnly and without 
pause, they perform their slow gyrations, while a group of 
young men in the centre survey their motions, quizzing their 
dresses and general appearance. The room is oppressively 
warm, when the President enters leading a lady — probably Mrs. 
Madison — and followed by Mrs. Polk and all the great people 
of Washington. 

"The noise increases, the complimenting and bowing go on 
worse than ever; the promenading ceases. The President has 
a word for every one, and all mingle together in irregular 
groups chatting and laughing." 

President Fillmore Receives in the Morning 

During President Fillmore's term, levees at the White 
House were sometimes held in the morning. One such morn- 
ing reception is described by one who was present, thus : 

"Yesterday was a bright, but windy day, and there were 
a good many ladies at the morning levee. Mr. Fillmore is in 
fine health and spirits, and I think it will be conceded by every- 
body, that he is the best-looking of all the Presidents who have 
occupied the National Mansion. I have seen the greater part 
of them, but certainly for an unaffectedly polite and courteous 
gentleman none could compare with the present occupant. 

"John Quincy Adams, with whom my Presidential remem- 
brances commence, was chillingly cold, stiff and ungenial in 
his manner of receiving visitors ; he made you keep your dis- 
tance and feel it, too. General Jackson was frank and digni- 
fied, but not very cordial; his successor (Van Buren), was 
civil and politely gracious ; Gen. Harrison, poor old man ! was 
kind-hearted but feeble, and was soon worried out of his exist- 
ence. Mr. Polk was a very civil President, and easy in his 
manners. General Taylor — heaven rest his honest soul ! — 
received you as a grandfather does his grandchildren, and you 



Early-Day "Drawing-Rooms" and Levees 307 

left his presence forgetting that you had seen the President, 
and only feeling that you had been talking to one of the kind- 
est old souls in existence. 

"President Fillmore differs essentially from them all; he 
is a man among men in appearance, overtopping in his height 
the majority of the human family ; finely formed, in good health, 
with a bright eye, erect in carriage, and sufficiently stout with- 
out being corpulent, he is the representative of the American 
gentleman whom his countryman may take pride in." 



CHAPTER XXXIH 
Latter-Day Receptions and Handshaking 

PRESIDENT JACKSON held public receptions which 
anybody might attend, with or without invitation. This 
custom was in accordance with the opinion that the 
Executive Mansion belonged to the people, and that therefor 
the people should have the privilege of entering the mansion 
at any time when the President have notice that he would be 
"at home." The result was that such a great number of people 
crowded into the White House, whenever a reception was held, 
that oftentimes those who had been formally invited could not 
get into the mansion at all. 

From Jackson right down to McKinley the various Presi- 
dents made attempts to limit the number of persons who should 
attend the White House receptions. But all such attempts 
were in vain, the people continuing to pour into the mansion 
whether they held a card of invitation or not. 

President McKinley, however, proceeded to take steps to 
correct the abuse that had been so long endured by other Presi- 
dents. He ordered that cards should be sent to certain persons, 
and that only those who held such cards should be admitted, 
and President Roosevelt made the reformation more pro- 
nounced by having cards of admission included in each invita- 
tion, which had to be shown to the attendant at the White 
House entrance on the nights of the receptions. 

It had been the custom, previous to this time, to have one 
invitation include all receptions during the season. Under thq 
reformation inaugurated by Mr. McKinley the cards of invita- 
tion specified which reception the guest was to attend. Mr. 



Latter-Day Receptions and Handshaking 309 

McKinley, much more largely than any of his predecessors, 
invited members of Washington society, as well as those hold- 
ing positions under our own or other Governments. 

All these reforms were necessary to bring order to the 
Presidential receptions, where, before that time, chaos and con- 
fusion reigned whenever the President or his wife received. 

President McKinley's Card Receptions 

At the beginning of each social season in McKinley's 
time, in December of every year, invitations were sent out 
by the President and his wife for four receptions, one to meet 
the members of the Diplomatic Corps, another to meet the 
members of Congress, a third in honor of the army and navy 
officers, and the fourth for a public reception. These invita- 
tions were sent to personal friends, men and women in public 
life, representatives of prominent newspapers, and others who 
had in some way a claim to acknowledgment; but, although 
the invitation card read, "and Public Reception," it did not sig- 
nify that only those who received that card were entitled to 
attend the latter reception. What it really did mean was that 
the friends of the President and his wife were invited to the 
White House to meet the "public," which included themselves 
and everybody else. It was announced in the newspapers that 
the public would be received on a certain evening between the 
hours of nine and eleven, and then everybody who wished to 
do so went to the reception. Those who went early enough were 
able to get into "line" inside the White House lawn, and those 
who went later took up their position next to the last comer. 
As early as seven in the evening the line began to form. Then 
it lengthened and lengthened until it stretched far out along 
the pavement in front of the White House; then it divided 
into two portions at the two north gates, and the two lines 
extended down Pennsylvania Avenue for a quarter of a mile 
each way, which made half a mile of people standing three 
abreast, all in readiness to walk into the White House when the 
doors should be thrown open. This was done at promptly five, 



310 Inside: History of the; White; House 

minutes before nine, and then the crowd surged forward, three 
by three. 

Besides the regular evening public reception, which was 
given every winter at the end of February, the wife of the 
President always gave an afternoon reception to the public in 
midwinter, when she was assisted by ladies of the Cabinet, but 
at these functions the President did not appear. 

President Roosevelt Receives Thousands 

Receptions at the White House in the Roosevelt adminis- 
trations have been both numerous and elaborate. So great 
has been the attendance at the evening receptions to diplomats 
and the army and navy that often times the doorkeepers have 
counted as many as two thousand. Guests are admitted only 
upon presentation of a small colored card, a different color for 
each of the eight grand receptions and dinners, which, during a 
recent season, were as follows : 

December 13, Thursday, Cabinet Dinner, 8 P.M. 

January 1, Tuesday, New Year's Reception, 11 A.M. to 
1 =30 P.M. 

January 3, Thursday, Diplomatic Reception, 9 to 10 :30 P.M. 

January 10, Thursday, Diplomatic Dinner, 8 P.M. 

January 17, Thursday, Judicial Reception, 9 to 10:30 P.M. 

January 24, Thursday, Supreme Court Dinner, 8 P.M. 

January 31, Thursday, Congressional Reception, 9 to 
10 130 P.M. 

February 7, Thursday, Army and Navy Reception, 9 to 
10:30 P.M. 

At the instigation and invitation of President Roosevelt 
one of the most notable and distinguished official gatherings 
ever assembled in the White House was called to order in the 
East Room at 10 o'clock on the morning of May 13, 1908. It 
was the national convention on the conservation of the national 
resources. The Governors were of a majority of the States 
and Territories present. 

President Roosevelt gave a banquet for these guests. 



Latter-Day Receptions and Handshaking 311 

Every Governor and acting Governor in the city was invited 
and a distinguished company from official life was bidden to 
meet the Governors. Sixty-eight guests, including the visiting 
delegates, sat around the President's board in the State dining- 
room. The doors of the White House were kept closed to 
the public during the three or four days of the convention. At 
the conclusion of the convention Mrs. Roosevelt gave a large 
garden party to the delegates. 

President Lincoln's "Monster" Reception 

All of President Lincoln's receptions have been described 
many times by many different guests who were present. Of 
the first reception held by the great liberator at the White 
House one historian says : 

"The oldest frequenters of the Executive Mansion declare 
that they do not recollect ever to have seen so many people 
pass through the house at any previous levee. Some of the 
officers of the house who served Mr. Buchanan and Mr. Pierce 
say they never saw anything approaching it in numbers, and 
that it never was excelled in brilliancy. An hour before the 
doors of the house were opened the great driveway was block- 
aded with carriages and the sidewalks and approaches to the 
White House were thronged with ladies and gentlemen, 
anxiously awaiting an opportunity to enter and pay their 
respects to the President and Mrs. Lincoln. At eight o'clock 
the doors were opened and the house was soon filled. By half- 
past eight the crowd inside was so intense that — it being impos- 
sible to pass out of the door, owing to the large numbers out- 
side waiting for admission — it was found necessary to pass the 
ladies and gentlemen who desired to retire out through the 
windows. This mode of exit lasted nearly an hour, especially 
for the gentlemen. 

"From eight until half-past ten, Mr. Lincoln took the posi- 
tion usually occupied by the President at receptions, and, during 
the whole time, did not have a resting spell of one minute, but 
shook hands continually, a large part of the time shaking the 



312 Inside History of the White; House 

gentlemen with the right hand and the lady with the left, cr 
vice versa, as the case might be, in order to facilitate the move- 
ments of the multitude. 

"Mrs. Lincoln occupied a position to the immediate right 
of the President, and next to her husband, was the target for 
all eyes. Dr. Blake, present Commissioner of Public Build- 
ings, filled his usual position of introducing to the Queen of the 
White House such as desired to be presented. Mrs. Lincoln 
bore the fatigue of the two-and-a-half-hour siege with great 
patience. She appeared remarkably well and performed her 
part of the honors, in response to the grand ovation paid to 
her as well as to her honored husband, with that propriety 
which consistently blends all the graces with an unreserved 
dignity. 

"At half-past ten o'clock, Mrs. Lincoln leaning upon the 
arm of an ex-member of Congress from Illinois — much to the 
chagrin of Senators and Representatives, who were dressed 
and dying to have that honor themselves — proceeded through 
the Blue Room to the East Room. The President followed, 
attended by one of his younger sons. The crowd in the East 
Room, although very great, made way for Excellency and lady 
and suite. They passed round the room once, the head of the 
President peering above all the rest, so that he could be dis- 
tinctly seen at any time from any point. He was dressed in 
plain black broadcloth — and wore white kids. Mrs. Lincoln 
was attired in a rich Magenta colored brocade silk, with raised 
figure flounces, trimmed not extravagantly with rich point 
lace. Her ornaments were chiefly diamonds and pearls. 

"Robert Lincoln was not present, having returned to his 
collegiate studies at Cambridge. 

"The universal impression is that old Abe's first public 
reception at the White House has been a triumphant success. 
Everybody seems pleased, except those who got badly squeezed 
in the crowd, and a few who lost their coats and hats or got 
them exchanged, as is always more or less the case at the 
levees." 




THE CABINET ROOM" WITH ITS HISTORICAL PORTRAITS 




THE PRESIDENT'S PRIVATE OFFICE 



Latter-Day Receptions and Handshaking 315 

How President Hayes Entertained 

On January 13, 1884, President Hayes gave a notable recep- 
tion, the first of that season, and a brilliant success. 

"The vestibule and parlors," says one story of the event, 
"were draped with the nation's colors. The President and 
Mrs. Hayes stood in the Blue Parlor, the latter dressed 
becomingly in a suit of garnet silk and velvet. The callers 
were introduced to the President by Mr. Webb and to Mrs. 
Hayes by Colonel Case. The occasion was more like a brilliant 
private party than a miscellaneous reception. The East Parlor 
into which the guests passed after saluting the President and 
his wife was a scene of lively sociability. At ten the President 
and Mrs. Hayes retired from the parlors, the Marine Band sta- 
tioned in the vestibule played 'Home, Sweet Home', and the 
crowd of carriages in waiting bore multitudes of guests away 
from a more than ordinary attractive Tuesday evening reception. 

"The Vice-President, William A. Wheeler, with Republican 
simplicity, came on foot under an umbrella." 

Handshaking by the Presidents 

More than one President has said, after leaving the White 
House, that one of the hardest duties he had to perform was 
that of handshaking. Only those who have stood and shaken 
the hands of thousands of persons can understand what a drain 
the task is upon the physical strength. 

Each President has had his own peculiar, individual way of 
grasping the hand of a guest of callers. Some Presidents used 
first the right hand and then the left, alternately, in shaking 
hands. Others used only the right hand. Some wore a glove 
on the left hand, others wore no glove at all. 

It has been estimated that, at the New Year's receptions at 
the White House, Presidents have shaken hands with as many 
as two thousand persons per hour. In the case of President 
McKinley, it is said that he shook hands with fully twenty- 
five hundred persons each hour during his last New Year's 
reception. 



316 Inside; History of the; White; House; 

During the celebration of the Washington Centennial, in 
1900, one newspaper recorded the fact that President McKinley, 
at the White House, broke all records by clasping 4,816 
palms in one hour and forty-five minutes. The account says : 

"Last night, at the public reception held at the White 
House for visitors to the jubilee festivities, he grasped and vig- 
orously shook the hands of 4,816 people. All this was done in 
the record-breaking time of one hour and forty-five minutes, 
the average number of hands per minute grasped by the Presi- 
dent being forty-six. 

"This record is probably destined to stand for some time, 
as the Executive will have no more public functions till next 
winter. 

"At last night's reception Secretaries Long, Gage and Hay, 
three members of the Cabinet, started in to duplicate the feat of 
the President — to shake hands with every person attending the 
reception — but all three were compelled to abandon the idea. 
Secretary Gage lasted about twenty minutes and the others 
only a little longer." 

President McKinley and his wife always seemed to be per- 
fectly happy and pleased to see the great multitudes that called 
at the White House. The President always took great delight 
in shaking hands with the people. He told Doorkeeper Pendel 
that he took more delight in shaking hands with the people than 
with those at the State dinners. It seemed to be a great grat- 
ification to him to meet the masses. 

President Rutherford B. Hayes, just before his inaugura- 
tion, while he was President-elect, shook hands with so many 
people that he suffered severe pain in his right arm for several 
weeks. During that period he had the temerity to issue the 
following statement for publication : 

"Mr. Hayes has had so much fatigue to go through in 
shaking hands during the last five or six months, and more 
especially since his departure from home that his arm has 
become painfully affected by it and he is obliged to decline that 
mode of saluting his visitors." 



Latter-Day Receptions and Handshaking 317 

Lincoln Blisters His Fingers at a Reception 

At one of the White House receptions, Mr. Lincoln shook 
hands with so many people that next day his own hands were 
covered with blisters. The incident is related by Doorkeeper 
Pendel, in his book on the White House, as follows : 

"I crowded my way through the hallway where the jam 
of people was very compact, into the Blue Parlor, with a glass 
of water for Mr. Lincoln. He drank it, and seemed to enjoy it 
very much. The perspiration was just rolling down his face 
as he grasped the hands of the passing throng, as though he 
had been splitting rails as of yore. Everything passed off very 
nicely that night, and next morning, the Sabbath, Simon 
Cameron called upon the President. 

"Mr. Cameron was received in the Blue Parlor. After 
awhile they came out and stood in the grand corridor opposite, 
engaging in earnest conversation. The President said 'Cameron, 
something occurred to me last night at the reception that 
never did before'. He held his hands up and said, 'Cameron, 
between every one of these fingers is a blister from the shaking 
of hands'. After one term in the White House, and numer- 
ous receptions, the President had never experienced anything 
like this before." 



CHAPTER XXXIV 
Holidays at the White House 

ALL the holidays observed by the American people have 
been celebrated by the Presidents and their families at 
the White House, with the exception, in latter days, of 
the Fourth of July and Labor Day, these holidays occurring 
while the Chief Executive is away at his summer home. 

New Year's has been the day involving the largest public 
reception at the White House, ever since John Adams form- 
ally opened the mansion to the people on that day one hundred 
and eight years ago. In the early days, the anniversaries of the 
Battle of New Orleans were celebrated at the White House, 
President Monroe receiving the hero of that battle, Gen. 
Andrew Jackson, on one occasion when the floor of one of the 
rooms in the White House were marked, in chalk, with words 
extending a welcome to the guest of honor. 

Fourth of July and Washington's Birthday have nearly 
always been celebrated at the White House. Thanksgiving, 
however, was not observed at the mansion as a holiday until 
1845, President Polk being the first to hold festival on that day. 

Christmas at the Executive Mansion 

As in all the other homes of the nation, the home of the 
Chief Executive, at Christmas time, has from the beginning 
become the scene of merriment at Christmas time. In Jeffer- 
son's time, and Jackson's, and Benjamin Harrison's, when 
grandchildren lived in the White House, Christmas was the 
occasion of more than usual festivity. Delightful, too, were 
the Christmas times of the second Cleveland administration, 



HOUDAYS AT THE WHITE HOUSE 319 

when the Cleveland babies were given a huge Christmas tree. 
In Mr. Roosevelt's two administrations Christmas has been 
observed with more than the usual functions, including one or 
two children's parties, at which the hosts and hostesses were 
the President's four sons and two daughters. 

A description of an old-time Christmas eve at the White 
House, that of 1847, when President Polk was the White 
House occupant, is given by a reporter of that period thus : 

"It was reception night and the latch-string in the shape of 
a handsome negro was 'outside the door'. On entering I 
found a comfortable room full, with President Polk standing 
before the fire, bowing and shaking hands. 

"The better half of the President was seated on the sofa, 
engaged with some half a dozen ladies in lively conversation; 
and though ill and clumsy at millinery, yet I will try to describe 
what she 'had on'. A maroon-colored velvet dress, with short 
sleeves, trimmed with very deep lace, and a handsome pink 
head dress was all that struck the eye of the general observer. 
Mrs. Polk is a handsome, shrewd and sensible woman — better 
looking and better dressed than any of her numerous 'female 
acquaintances' ort the present occasion. 

"Among the 'guests of distinction' were the Hon. Cave 
Johnson, P. M. G., who bears a strong resemblance about the 
head to Mr. Greeley, of the Tribune; Mr. Vinton, of Ohio; 
Commodore de Kay, Mr. Rockwell, of Connecticut, a Wall 
Street financier, who can draw a larger draft on London than 
any other man in the country ; two or three pairs of epaulettes; 
a couple of pretty deaf and dumb girls, who talked with their 
fingers, and a score of others who only talked with their eyes, 
while a whole regiment of the 'raw material' of the Democracy, 
in frock coats, stood as straight as grenadiers around the outer 
circle of the room." 

New Year's Day and the Great Reception 

Of all the receptions held at the White House during each 
year, the greatest now is and always has been, that held on 



320 Inside History of the White House 

New Year's Day. It means, we are told, a dress parade of the 
entire official contingent. A day or two before the event, the 
public rooms of the mansion are closed and put into the hands 
of the White House decorators. Not only the White House 
conservatory, but those of the Agricultural department and the 
Botanical gardens as well, are brought into requisition to 
supply the needed flowers. In another book by the present 
author, The Rulers of the World at Home, are found these 
statements regarding the New Year's reception in McKinley's 
time ; the arrangements being practically the same to-day under 
Roosevelt : 

Announcements are made in the newspapers proclaiming 
the reception and the exact moment at which the different 
officials of the government service will be received. From 
the State Department engraved cards of invitation are sent to 
each of the foreign representatives at the Capital to be present 
at the New Year's reception. The drawing rooms are pro-' 
fusely decorated for the occasion with cut flowers and plants. 
The great cut-glass chandeliers, the doorways and mirrors are 
all festooned with smilax ; mantels and mirror-rests are banked 
with a mosaic of camelias, carnations and tuberoses, and the 
window recesses and corners of the rooms are filled with tall 
palms and blooming azaleas. Our beautiful national flag is 
utilized or suggested in beautifying the White House whenever 
it can be brought into play. 

The callers enter the grounds by the west gate, and the 
house by the north entrance, passing through a door in the 
glass screen into the red corridor; thence they move into the 
Red Room, and at the Blue Room they are presented to the 
President and to the lady of the White House. They greet 
the women in line when not personally known to them, pass 
into the Green Room, and then into the East Room. A tem- 
porary platform is constructed with steps leading to the ground 
from one of the windows in the little hallway. Over this plat- 
form callers pass out of the house and leave the grounds by the 
east gate. 



Holidays at the; White; House; 321 

The reception is held in the Blue Room. A barricade of 
sofas is made across the room from the Red Room door to the 
Green Room door, forming a line against which the receiving 
party stands. The space back of the sofas is reserved for 
guests specially invited by the President to enter there, and the 
entrance is guarded by the head of the house staff of ushers. 
The Marine Band, in full uniform, is stationed in the corridor, 
and strikes up 'Hail to the Chief as the President and the 
receiving party leave the dressing rooms. Each Cabinet Min- 
ister escorts his wife, and the company enters the Blue Room 
from the red corridor in the order of the ranking of the Minis- 
ters. The President stands at the door of the Red Room, and 
the ladies stand against the sofa backs. 

A "White House Program of New Year's Day' 

As already stated, the exact time at which various officials 
will be received at the White House on New Year's Day is 
announced in advance. The regulations in this respect issued 
by President Roosevelt for a New Year's reception in a recent 
year, read: 

The President will receive at — 

11 A.M. — The Vice-President, the Members of the Cabinet, 
the Diplomatic Corps. 

1 1 :20 A.M. — The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices 
of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Judges of the 
Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, the Judges of the 
Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, the Judges of the 
U. S. Court of Claims, former Members of the Cabinet, Ambas- 
sadors and Ministers of the United States. 

1 1 130 A.M. — Senators, Representatives and Delegates in 
Congress ; the Commissioners and Judicial Officers of the Dis- 
trict of Columbia. 

11:45 A - M - — Officers of the Army, officers of the Navy, 
officers of the Marine Corps, Commanding-General and general 
staff of the Militia of the District of Columbia. 

12:15 P.M. — The Regents and Secretary of the Smith- 



322 Inside; History of the; White; House; 

sonian Institution, the Civil Service Commission, the Inter- 
state Commerce Commission, the Isthmian Canal Commission, 
Assistant Secretaries of Departments, the Solicitor-General, 
Assistant Attorneys-General, Assistant Postmasters-General, 
the Treasurer of the United States, the Librarian of Congress, 
the Public Printer, the heads of bureaus in the several depart- 
ments ; the President of the Columbia Institution for the Deaf 
and Dumb. 

12:30 P.M. — The Society of the Cincinnati, the Associated 
Veterans of the War of 1846-47, the Military Order of the 
Loyal Legion of the United States, the Grand Army of the 
Republic, the Medal of Honor Legion, the Union Veteran 
Legion, the Union Veteran's Union, the Society of the Army 
of Santiago, the Spanish War Veterans, the Army and Navy 
Union, the Minute Men, the Sons of the American Revolution, 
the members of the Oldest Inhabitants' Association of the Dis- 
trict of Columbia. 

1 P.M. — Reception of citizens. 

Gentlemen to be received, whether in carriages or on foot, 
will enter the White House by the north portico, and will leave 
by the eastern entrance (opposite the Treasury). 

Carriages will approach the White House by the north- 
western gate and be parked in East Executive Avenue, where 
they will remain until called to the east entrance, from which 
all guests will depart. 

First New Year's Reception in the President's House 
The first New Year's reception was held in the White 
House on January 1, 1801, and the customary etiquette was 
observed in spite of the shivering conditions. It was the fash- 
ion in the early days of the Republic for the company to be 
seated and the President and his lady to pass around the circle 
with words of courtesy and welcome. 

President and Mrs. John Adams decided to hold their New 
Year's reception notwithstanding that the White House was 
not yet fully furnished, and it was given in the oval-shaped 



Holidays at the; Whits House; 323 

library on the second floor, a handsome room commanding a 
fine view of the Potomac, and the outlying Virginian and 
Maryland hills. 

"That first reception," we are informed, "was a very formal 
affair. The President and his wife did the honors alone that 
New Year's Day, and it does not seem to have occurred to them 
to call on the Cabinet families to assist them. The President's 
wife sat in state in her brocades and velvets, while the Presi- 
dent stood beside her in knee-breeches, gaily colored waistcoat, 
high stock collar, and his powdered hair tied in a neat queue. 
After each guest had paid his respects to them, he passed on 
and was served with refreshments by a colored waiter." 

Some one writing of a New Year's reception at the White 
House in the early years of the last century speaks of the 
"flashing jewels, silken dresses and nodding plumes" and adds 
quaintly : 

"My attention was attracted to what seemed like a rolling 
ball of burnished gold carried swiftly through the air upon two 
gilt wings, toward the President's house. It stopped before the 
door, and from it alighted, weighted with gold lace, the French 
Minister and his suite. We now perceived that what we had 
supposed to be wings were gorgeous footmen, with brass cha- 
peau.va.nd gilt braided skirts, and armed with glittering swords." 

N. P. Willis Describes President Tyler's New Year's 
Reception 

One of the distinguished guests of President Tyler at the 
New Year's reception of 1844, was the poet, N. P. Willis, who 
afterward wrote the following account of his experience on 
that occasion : 

"New Year's Day has passed, and never was a brighter and 
gayer anniversary seen in the metropolis. The sun shone out 
in unusual splendor, and the day was mild and refreshing as a 
morn in the early spring. The whole population was in the 
streets, and Pennsylvania Avenue, with its throng of gay and 
animated faces, would have reminded you of a time of carnival. 



324 Inside History oe the White House 

The boarding-house messes turned out their complement of 
members of Congress; the fancy shops were filled with lively, 
merry hearts; and the masses, in their holiday suits, were on 
their way to the President's house, to see and be seen in the 
great levee. 

"We went to the President's, early, before twelve o'clock ; 
and, even at this hour, the long line of carriages in front, 
dotted here and there with the liveries and cockades of the 
corteges of the Foreign Ministers, foretold that a goodly com- 
pany had already arrived. We made our entrance through the 
crowd at the front door, unresisted by guards or bayonets, ana 
passed on to the receiving rooms, without any ceremony, and 
shook the hand of the President of the United States. 

"The President was surrounded by his Cabinet, and, giving 
to each guest, as he approached, a very bland salutation, he 
handed them over to the ladies of his family on his left. The 
receiving room is the centre Oval Room, and passing from 
thence into another adjoining apartment, following in the train 
of the crowd, you find yourself in the far-famed East Room, 
where the sovereigns of the land make their circuit. It was 
crowded on this occasion, and every class of society was fully 
represented. The room presented a bright and gratifying 
scene ; all seemed to feel at home, and each face bore an aban- 
don of care. 

"The number of ladies was unusually large, and some were 
very beautiful, in full morning-dress, with hats and feathers 
and glittering gowns, standing in one position. While the 
company made the evolution of the room, you saw all that 
passed. The officers of the army and navy in full dress made 
a fine appearance. Among the latter were seen Major- 
Generals Scott, Gaines, Gibson, Towson, Jessup — all heroes of 
the (Mexican) war. Many Senators and members of the 
House were present, and this being the first levee of many of 
the new members, they were particularly attracted by the bril- 
liant court costumes of some of the Foreign Ministers. The 
dress of the Mexican Minister, General Almonte, seemed to 



Holidays at the White House 325 

carry the day, in the rich profusion of gold embroidery. The 
dress of the French Minister, of blue and gold, was rich and 
unpretending. The Spanish Minister and suite, in light blue 
and silver, looked well. The Brazilian, in green and gold, the 
white Austrian and Swedish uniforms, were very handsome." 

Cleveland's First and Last New Year's Receptions 

The first New Year's reception held by President Cleveland 
in the White House, was chronicled in the press, at the time, 
with full details. From these reports we learn that : 

"The apartments were decorated with groups of palms in 
all the angles and recesses of the walls, and the mantels were 
adorned with potted plants in gilt baskets. In the Blue Room, 
where the company stood to receive, blooming azaleas made 
masses and points of color against the background of palms 
lining one end of the Oval Room, and cut flowers were added to 
the mantels. The company descended from the private part of 
the mansion, the President escorting Mrs. Bayard, and Secre- 
tary Bayard giving his arm to Miss Cleveland (the President's 
sister). Colonel John Wilson, the Marshal of the District, 
stood at the left of the President. 

"The latter wore a plain black morning suit, double- 
breasted Prince Albert coat, with black necktie. He did not 
wear gloves, nor yet the buttonhole bouquet with which Presi- 
dent Arthur always carefully adorned his coat. Miss Cleveland 
wore a rich, tasteful toilette. 

"The reception for citizens began at one o'clock, and the 
line of those waiting extended from the doorway down to the 
gates and far beyond them. Marshal Wilson, who presented 
those untitled ones to the President, and Lieutenant Duval, 
who performed the service for Miss Cleveland, had a great tax 
upon them while the continuous stream of people poured in 
and through the receiving room. Policemen in uniform kept 
order outside of the mansion, but the guardians of the peace 
brought in to assist the ushers and attendants in the State 
apartments were all dressed in the frock coats of citizens." 



326 Inside History oe the White House 

And in the newspaper accounts of President Cleveland's 
last New Year's reception, it is stated : 

"The American flag floated over the White House on Jan- 
uary 1, 1889. The day was bright and beautiful and the 
'Cleveland weather' allowed crowds to assemble at the gates 
long before they were opened. At noon the President, escort- 
ing Miss Bayard, and Mrs. Cleveland on the arm of Secretary 
Bayard, passed down the stairway and into the Blue Room, 
which was decorated with white azaleas, scarlet poinsettas and 
palms. Baron Fava led the Diplomats, among whom was the 
new German Minister, Count Von Arco Valley. Among the 
noticeable guests was the venerable George Bancroft in his 
eighty-ninth year who revived the old fashion of evening dress. 
Mrs. Cleveland, Mrs. Fairchild and Mrs. Dickinson remained 
with the President until the public reception was over. Among 
the throng Dr. Mary Walker, in her masculine attire, passed on 
and was introduced by Colonel Wilson. 

"A beautiful new carpet, strictly in harmony with the furni- 
ture and the massive grouping of tall palms, with bright foliage 
plants, set off the big East Room handsomely. In the Red, 
Blue and Green parlors orchids added their rich, languid beauty 
and down the private corridor pots of primroses gave out the 
suggestive sweetness of spring. Over all sparkled the lights 
of the crystal chandeliers and with all was the inspiring music 
of the Marine Band, for the first time of fifty pieces, fairly 
filling the outer corridor with the brilliant scarlet uniforms. 
Seldom or never have the arrangements been so complete for 
the comfort and pleasure of visitors. 

"The public reception began at 12:30, and for the first 
half-hour Colonel Wilson made the introduction by name. 
Then it was given up as hopeless, and the handshaking went on 
as rapidly as the President's strong arm could make it go. 
Mrs. Cleveland never flagging either; but with her glove off, 
shaking hands vigorously, smiling on all, black, white, old, 
young, babies in arms and babies on foot, who gave back 
answering smiles until pleased faces were like a beam of light 



Holidays at the; White House 327 

clear through to the East Room. Little expressions of delight 
followed New Year's greetings, natural, ludicrous and not 
lacking in a touch of the pathetic." 

Fourth of July at the White House 

Up to the time the Presidents began the practice of leaving 
Washington during the summer months, the day of greatest 
display and patriotism at the White House was the Fourth of 
July. Nearly all the earlier Presidents celebrated the day 
within the mansion, each holding a public reception. 

Of the first of such Fourth of July receptions in the term of 
President Madison, a chronicler of the day says : 

"About noon company began to wait upon the President, 
and in the course of a short time his spacious rooms were filled 
with a numerous assemblage of ladies and gentlemen, includ- 
ing the officers of the government, strangers of distinction and 
citizens, among whom refreshments were liberally distributed. 
The President received the congratulations of his fellow citi- 
zens on the return of the anniversary of their freedom, with 
the satisfaction which naturally flowed from a recollection of 
the interesting scenes through which his country had passed, 
from realizing in their full extent the blessings of self-govern- 
ment and from a consciousness of his own agency in establish- 
ing and securing the national liberties. Every one present 
exhibited feelings of lively interest at the return of this great 
day amid circumstances so honorable to the character, and so 
conspicuous to the happiness of his country ; feelings which 
were heightened by the happy effect of a powerful band of 
music, playing patriotic airs at short intervals. At one o'clock 
the militia passed in review, and saluted the President. About 
two o'clock the company separated and distributed themselves 
in parties arranged for the further celebration of the day." 

And concerning the observance of Independence Day in 
the term of John Quincy Adams, the diary kept by that Presi- 
dent contains the following entry: 

"The procession to the Capitol was formed only of one 



328 Inside History of the White House 

company of cavalry and a school of young girls, one of whom 
represented the Union. Four or five of the new States were 
represented by boys in the costume of Indians and painted. 
Governor Barbour and my son John went with me to the 
Capitol, where a prayer was made by Mr. Hawley ; the Declara- 
tion of Independence was read by Mr. Daniel Brent, and an 
oration was pronounced by Mr. Asbury Dickins. We returned 
home, and at the gate found a company of cavalry from Prince 
George's County, Maryland, commanded by the late Governor 
of the State, Sprigg. For about two hours we received the 
crowd of visitors, of both sexes and of all conditions. About 
three o'clock the company were all gone." 

"Washington's Birthday a Gala Occasion 

The twenty-second of February has invariably been an 
occasion observed at the White House in some form or other 
by which the head of the nation paid honor to the Birthday of the 
"Father of His Country." One of the most interesting accounts 
of the observance of this holiday at the White House is given 
by N. P. Willis, who tells of a reception at which he (Mr. 
Willis) was present as the guest of President Jackson. In the 
chapter in the present history on Letters and Gifts for the 
Presidents, the facts are set forth relating to the mammoth 
cheese presented to President Jackson. To this cheese N. P. 
Willis refers in the following little story of the reception on 
Washington's Birthday, 1837: 

"I joined the crowd on the twenty-second of February to 
pay my respects to the President and see the cheese. Whatever 
veneration existed in the minds of the people toward the 
former, their curiosity in reference to the latter predominated, 
unquestionably. The circular pave, extending from the gate 
to the White House, was thronged with citizens of all classes. 
The beautiful portico was thronged with boys and coach- 
drivers. On the side of the hall hung a rough likeness of the 
General emblazoned with eagle and stars, forming a back- 
ground to the huge tub in which the cheese had been packed ; 



Holidays at the White House 329 

and in the centre of the vestibule stood the 'fragrant gift', sur- 
rounded with a dense crowd, who had, in two hours, eaten, 
purveyed away fourteen hundred pounds. 

"We desisted from the struggle to obtain a sight of the 
table and mingled with the crowd in the East Room. Here 
were diplomats in their gold coats and officers in uniform, 
ladies of secretaries and other ladies, soldiers on voluntary 
duty and Indians in war-dress and paint. Bonnets, feathers, 
uniforms and all, it was rather a gay assemblage. Great coats 
there were and not a few of them, for the day was raw, and 
unless they were hung on the palings outside, they must remain 
on the owner's shoulders, but with the single exception (a fel- 
low with his coat torn down his back, possibly in getting at 
the cheese) I saw no man in a dress that was not respectable 
and clean of its kind. Those who were much pressed by the 
crowd put their hats on. 

"The President (Jackson) was downstairs in the Oval 
reception room, and though his health would not permit him to 
stand, he sat in his chair for two or three hours, and received 
his friends with his usual bland and dignified courtesy. By his 
side stood the lady of the mansion (Mrs. Andrew Jackson, Jr.), 
dressed in full court costume, and doing the honors of her place 
with a grace and amenity which every one felt, and which 
threw a bloom over the hour. General Jackson retired, after 
a while to his chamber and the President-elect (Martin Van 
Buren) remained to receive the still thronging multitude, and 
by four o'clock the guests were gone and the banquet hall was 
deserted. Not to leave a wrong impression of the cheese, I 
dined afterwards at a table to which the President had sent a 
piece of it, and found it of excellent quality." 

"Washington's Birthday Observed by Cleveland 

At a reception on Washington's Birthday in President 
Cleveland's term, the festivities reached their climax in the 
evening, at which time we are told in contemporaneous 
accounts, that: 



33o Inside; History of the; White; House} 

"The line of callers was led in without discrimination. 
When the first couple entered the White House door, the line 
extended down the west walk to the gate, and then eastward to 
the east gate. The President and Mrs. Cleveland met each of 
the long line with the usual cordial grasp of the hand. The 
throng was plain, a few of the men being in evening dress and 
many of them wearing their overcoats and carrying their hats 
in hand. Mrs. Cleveland wore a princess dress of ruby plush 
with the neck cut square in front and pointed at the back, a 
diamond necklace with three pendants about her neck and 
frills of old point lace about the edge of her corsage. One 
white glove was turned back, leaving her right hand bare to 
grasp the hands of the passing multitude." 

The Easter Monday Egg Rolling 

One form of Easter observance, a survival of the most 
ancient rites in almost indistinguishable variation, is still pre- 
served in the "egg rolling" at the White House. This custom 
of egg rolling by the children on Easter Monday is one peculiar 
to Washington. It is really a great picnic for the little ones at 
the National Capital, for hundreds, and even thousands, of 
children gather in the great lawn at the back of the Executive 
Mansion, bringing their little baskets of lunch and many col- 
ored eggs for a full day's enjoyment in the open air. 

The custom started many years ago by the children of East 
Washington gathering in the Capitol grounds and rolling their 
Easter eggs down the grassy slopes, seeing who could roll the 
eggs to the bottom without breaking them. Year by year the 
crowds became so great, causing much damage to the grass, that 
the Capitol police forbade their coming; and it was President 
Hayes who first invited the little ones to come to the 
White Lot. From that time the annual egg rolling has taken 
place at the White Lot. 

Formerly it was merely a day of innocent enjoyment for 
the little ones, but for the last half dozen years it has become a 
great National event at the Capital. President Harrison 



Holidays at the White) House 333 

ordered the Marine Band to play in the afternoon while the 
children romped, and Sousa, who was then the leader of that 
band, took great delight in playing his marches for the delecta- 
tion of the crowd. 

. The President usually held receptions during the afternoons 
in the East Room for the children, but the crowds became so 
great that these had to be abandoned. Instead, President and 
Mrs. Roosevelt watch the sport from the balcony of the White 
House overlooking the White Lot, and they always have a large 
number of invited guests to enjoy the afternoon with them. 



CHAPTER XXXV 
Dinners and Other Meals 

FACTS relating to the serving of meals, the table service 
and the kitchen, at the White House, are of peculiar inter- 
est to all American housewives and to home-makers gen- 
erally. Information on this important subject will be found 
in this and the succeeding chapter. 

At the present time, under the regime of President and 
Mrs. Roosevelt, the customary dinner hour at the Executive 
Mansion is half-past seven for small dinners, and eight o'clock 
for banquets. There has hardly been a single night when 
guests have not been present at dinner with the Roosevelts, 
and hence it has been the invariable custom to serve that meal 
in the State dining-room, the private dining-room being 
reserved for family meals, such as breakfast, and also luncheon, 
on the very rare occasions when only the family members are 
present. 

As to the children, their supper is served in the private 
.dining-room at 8:30, and their luncheon at half-past one, this 
last named meal being served in the State dining-room. 

Luncheons Formal and Informal 

Luncheon at the White House under President Roosevelt 
has been usually an informal meal. If the guests are family 
friends the children and their governess are present. It is at 
this meal that Mr. Roosevelt finds time to hold conversation 
with the most distinguished men in the land, for it is to 
luncheon that he invites, very informally, all sorts and condi- 
tions of men and women to break bread with him. 



Dinners and Other Meals 335 

Luncheon in President Cleveland's time was a more formal 
affair. Mrs. Cleveland was fond of entertaining at this meal, 
her invitations reading, for example : 

"Mrs. Cleveland requests the pleasure of the company of 

Miss at luncheon Wednesday, January 12, at 1 130 

o'clock, 1887." 

Arrangements for Dinners at the White House 

A dinner invitation to the White House, it is said, is like a 
"command." Etiquette rules that it cannot be declined. It is 
no valid excuse to say that you have asked guests to your own 
house for the same evening ; your dinner must be postponed or 
must be served in your absence. 

The first State dinner of each season is always tendered 
to the Cabinet members and their wives, and they, in ranking 
turn, become hosts to the President and his lady in the nine 
succeeding weeks. Formerly the guests, outside the Cabinet 
families, were from the official circle at Washington and the 
nine dinners with practically the same guests, and where inex- 
orable precedence compelled the same pairing at table pro- 
duced a monotony not to be endured by a President of Mr. 
Roosevelt's temperament. He accordingly introduced the cus- 
tom of each host, after having submitted the list of intended 
guests to him, inviting friends outside the official circle. This 
has resulted in making the dinners more pleasant and brings to 
them many guests of wealth and distinction from other cities. 
The second State dinner is to the members of the Diplomatic 
Corps and the third to the Justices of the Supreme Court. The 
courtesy of a White House dinner is always extended to any 
scion of royalty who may be visiting in this country, and to 
innumerable other persons of note. 

The appointments of the White House banquets, according 
to Waldon Fawcett, are admirable. The cloth which covers the 
table is of the finest texture of linen, as are also the naperies. 
The decorative effects vary, but are almost invariably elaborate, 
the White House conservatory being subjected to many 



336 Inside History of the White House 

requisitions for the floral part of the adornment. A very fine 
effect that has often been utilized is that produced by a silver- 
framed mirror which extends the full length of the table, and 
is surrounded by a drooping hedge of fine ferns, producing the 
effect of a placid stream with the overhanging verdure reflected 
on its surface. 

The table presents a co-mingling of silver and crystal and 
fine china. 

The arrangements and regulations governing dinners at the 
White House in McKinley's time are given in detail in an 
article in the New York Sun. The arrangements here named 
remain pretty nearly the same in the Roosevelt administration, 
thus: 

"Before entering the dining-room, each guest is given an 
envelope enclosing a card on which is printed a complete 
diagram of the table, with the various seats numbered. The 
name of the lady he is expected to take in to dinner is also 
written on the card. A cross is drawn through the number 
of the seat the guest is to occupy. The possibility of mistake 
is further obviated by placing at each plate another card with 
the guest's name written across the face. 

"The seats of least honor are at the ends of the table. The 
President sits in the centre of one of the long sides. The 
seat next in honor is directly opposite. 

"The decorations of a State dining table is always marked 
by extreme modesty. There is no attempt at elaborate dis- 
play. Numerous bouquets of choice roses or orchids are 
scattered along the centre and bouquets and boutonniers of 
similar flowers placed by the plates of the ladies and gentle- 
men. All is so arranged that though the table presents a vision 
of unusual beauty, there is no sense of the overpowering in 
decoration. Numerous candelabra add to the scene with their 
soft lights. 

"There are seldom, if ever, more than twelve courses to a 
White House dinner. As a usual thing the courses range in 
number from eight to twelve. They are served without haste. 



Dinners and Other Meals 337 

An entire dinner in this manner is served within two hours, 
and some of the most noted dinners have been served in 
even less time. 

"When the dinner is finished the President and his wife rise 
as. a signal that the service is at an end. The ladies pass to the 
reception rooms, and the men to the smoking room, where 
coffee is served. The gentlemen pass some time in informal 
conversation, and then join the ladies in the reception rooms. 
Here tea is served. Custom prescribes that none of the other 
guests shall leave until those of the highest rank have taken 
leave of the evening's host and hostess. Out of consideration 
to the other guests these officials leave immediately after tea 
has been served. The other guests follow closely, so that the 
entire company has left the White House by eleven o'clock. 

President Roosevelt's Dinners 

President Roosevelt has given more dinners, as he has 
entertained more, than any other occupant of the White House. 
At such times the White House table, in the State dining-room, 
is decorated most beautifully and artistically. When not too 
many guests are to be present, the dinner is served by the regu- 
lar White House kitchen force. For State dinners, however 
and other dinners at which a great number of persons are to be 
present, a caterer is called in. 

During dinner at the White House to-day, music is usually 
furnished by the Marine Band. Two hours is the customary 
time spent at the table. Large dinners last from eight to ten, 
these being distinguished thus from the less formal and smaller 
dinners which are served at seven-thirty. When the meal is 
over, President Roosevelt rises, and all present then also rise. 
The gentlemen retire for a time to the private dining-room, 
where coffee is served, after which they join the ladies in what- 
ever room Mrs. Roosevelt and her guests may have gathered. 
At State dinners Mr. Roosevelt may have from forty to ninety 
guests. One of President Roosevelt's State dinners was 
described by a Washington correspondent, thus : 



338 Inside History of the White House 

"The beauty of the State dining-room has seldom ap- 
peared to better advantage than in the decorative setting of 
last night's dinner. The long table laid for forty-five covers 
was treated artistically in red, green and white, a combination 
of colors which accords well with the decorations of the room. 
In the centre an enormous silver bowl held a towering mound 
of crimson Liberty roses, and two lower plaques of these flow- 
ers were set in green at intervals along the two ends of the 
table. Nearer the plate line, six branching candelabra capped 
in silver and crimson rose on either side above spreading 
bunches of white carnations and innumerable clusters of 
Farleyense ferns relieved the white expanse of damask. 

"At the President's place, the customary high gold goblet 
was set, and the light which fell from the centre chandelier and 
girondoles played brilliantly upon the crystal and plate of the 
table service. 

"The corridor was beautified with a charming arrangement 
of palms. The Marine Band played throughout the dinner." 

President McKinley*s Dinner Arrangements 

One innovation which was inaugurated during President 
McKinley's administration was the practice of having a num- 
ber of young people present to enliven each State dinner. 
President and Mrs. McKinley also entertained innumerable 
small private dinner parties. Scarcely a Sunday night during 
the session but some of the President's intimate personal 
friends dropped in for dinner, and Mrs. McKinley entertained 
at luncheon a number of her old schoolmates and other friends. 

At a State dinner President McKinley sat in the centre of 
the long table, and according to the usual usage at the White 
House his wife would occupy the next seat in honor — the place 
directly opposite. President McKinley did not always, how- 
ever, observe this custom. The invalidism of his wife prompted 
him frequently to have her occupy the place by his side, and the 
opposite was in such event, occupied by Secretary Hay. 

The limitations of the White House at that time necessitated 



Dinners and Other Meals 339 

all kinds of makeshifts in the serving of large dinners, a fact to 
which one correspondent refers, as follows : 

"If the number of guests exceeds fifty, the table is spread 
in the central corridor. If less, the State dining-room is used. 
It is interesting to note the attempts which have been suc- 
cessively made to increase the seating capacity of the State 
dining-room. The original table was a rectangular affair 
seating thirty-six guests. When this became inadequate a 
shell was constructed similar in outline to the figure eight, 
which, placed atop the table, increased the seating capacity to 
fifty. The number of guests, then, controls the choice of a 
dining-room. During the afternoon the table is prepared and 
its setting arranged. For this purpose the steward chooses 
one of the many sets of china belonging to the White House." 

A State Dinner When Hayes was Host 

"The second State dinner was given this evening," says a 
report written during the term of President Hayes, "the guests 
including the Vice-President, Cabinet and members of both 
houses. Most of the guests were accompanied by ladies. The 
Marine Band was stationed in the north vestibule. The inner 
vestibule was ablaze with lights and decorated with flags and 
tall plants. The Green, Blue and Red Parlors were elaborately 
ornamented with plants in blossom, clusters of crocuses giving 
a fresh and spring-like air to the apartments. The East Parlor 
was brilliantly lighted for the use of promenaders and was 
filled with flowers. 

"The State dining-room is in the southwest corner of the 
mansion adjoining the Red Parlor. It is 40x30 feet in size, 
and contains a dining-table having room for thirty-six covers, 
three guests being placed at either end. On the table were 
many bouquets of roses, chiefly pink and red ; and the long, oval 
mirror in the centre was bordered with calla lilies, separated by 
clusters of green. The card at each plate bore the National 
coat-of-arms, embossed in gilt, and the name of the guest was 
inscribed in old English text. A boutonniere was half hidden 



340 Inside; History of the White House 

in each gentleman's napkin. A decanter of water beside each 
plate bore silent testimony to Mrs. Hayes' convictions on the 
temperance question." 

Brilliant Dinner-Party Given by President Monroe 

The wife of the Secretary of the Navy under President 
Monroe, Mrs. Crowninshield, wrote many letters embodying 
her experiences at the White House, among which is found 
the following reference to a brilliant dinner-party, and to Mrs. 
Monroe as hostess, Mrs. Crowninshield's letter being written 
in the winter of 1815 : 

"At Mrs. Monroe's we had the most stylish dinner I have 
been at. The table wider than we have, and in the middle a 
large, perhaps, silver waiter, with images like some Aunt 
Silsbee has, only more of them, and vases filled with flowers, 
which made a very showy appearance as the candles were 
lighted when we went to table. The dishes were silver and 
set round this waiter. The plates were handsome china, the 
forks silver, and so heavy that I could hardly lift them to my 
mouth, dessert knives silver, and spoons very heavy — you 
would call them clumsy things. Mrs. Monroe is a very ele- 
gant woman. She was dressed in a very fine muslin worked 
in front and lined with pink, and a black velvet turban close 
and spangled. Her daughter, Mrs. Hay, a red silk sprigged in 
colors, white lace sleeves and a dozen strings of coral round 
her neck. Her little girl, six years old, dressed in plaid. The 
drawing-room was handsomely lighted — transparent lamps I 
call them; three windows, crimson damask curtains, tables, 
chairs and all the furniture French; and andirons, something 
entirely new." 



CHAPTER XXXVI 
At the Tabic and in the Kitchen 

NEITHER the food served at the President's table, nor the 
routine of the kitchen, is different from the viands or 
the cooking common to the home of any other citizen of 
wealth and position. And, as is sometimes the case in private 
homes, when the guests invited number too many for the regu- 
lar White House kitchen staff to provide for, such meals are 
cooked and served by a caterer and his corps of assistants. 

President Roosevelt believes in plain food and high think- 
ing for himself and the older members of his family, and in 
still plainer food and merry thinking for his children. There- 
fore the little ones of the White House of to-day are seated at 
table whereon are placed exactly such wholesome cereals and 
so forth, and milk in just such quantities, as are to be found in 
less exalted homes. 

What the President Eats 

It is very doubtful, says Walden Fawcett, a Washington 
writer, if the repasts served at the White House are really any 
more delicious than those obtainable at any one of half a hun- 
dred hotels in different parts of America, but a great many 
people who have been fortunate enough to partake of them will 
solemnly assure you that they are, and of course, presumably 
they should know. The farmer friends send him a great many 
edibles as gifts at all times of the year, and these mementoes 
include, everything from pumpkins to turkeys. A very small 
percentage of the dishes served at a White House dinner are 
imported especially for the purpose, unless indeed we except 



342 Inside History oe the White House 

the oranges which the White House conservatory has occasion- 
ally contributed to the feast. The bread and the cakes, both 
fancy and plain, are all baked by the experts in the basement of 
the White House. 

The supplies for the White House dinners, according to a 
Washington correspondent writing in the New York Sun, are 
obtained in open market. Such is the excellence of the Wash- 
ington markets that it would scarcely be necessary to arrange 
for these supplies before ordering the dinner. In former days 
the White House fowls, meats and fish were obtained direct 
from farm or shore. This is no longer the practice. The 
White House steward merely advises the tradesman before- 
hand of the coming date of the dinner and its probable menu 
and the choicest products obtainable are gathered for his 
inspection. 

The market opens at six o'clock in the morning and shortly 
after that hour is overrun with the buyers for the Washington 
hotels and the providers for the scores of private families who 
entertain lavishly during the social season. It, therefore, 
behooves the White House steward to make an early visit. He 
is invariably among the first. He chooses for his dinner the 
finest meats to be obtained of the score or more butchers; he 
chooses the finest fish and shell fish from the fish stalls, and the 
choicest vegetables from the farmers. He has his own wagon 
and driver, and as soon as his shopping list is exhausted 
the purchases are driven direct to the White House. By 
eight o'clock that morning the preparation of the dinner 
has begun. 

It is impossible to furnish in detail any estimate of the 
materials and foods used in the preparation of a State dinner. 
When it is considered that only the choicest bits are served, the 
supplies purchased for a dinner of seventy must be something 
extraordinary. A roast of lamb or filet of beef, for instance, 
is served but to four or five persons and the choicest morsels 
only are eaten. Of a fowl the breast alone is carved. The 
same fastidiousness is observed throughout every course. 



At the Table and in the Kitchen 343 

The "White House Kitchen 

The kitchen at the White House, the entire culinary 
department, as already inferred, is no different from that to be 
found in any hospitable home of great wealth. The White 
House kitchen is not even different from the kitchen of ordi- 
nary men of wealth even as to size. Its capacity is such that 
thirty, or even forty, persons can be provided for, no more. 
That is the reason for the calling in of a caterer when a State 
dinner is to be given at which eighty or ninety covers are laid. 

The kitchen, it is stated, is fitted with all the latest improved 
equipments for preparing the daintiest viands and keeping them 
steaming hot until the hour for service has arrived. The 
kitchen is, of course, in the basement, adjacent to the pantry 
and china closets. The walls are tiled, and along one side is a 
range some fifteen feet in length and fitted with extensive 
warming racks. 

It is further set forth, in an article in the New York Sun, 
that the kitchen, though complete and convenient, is not elabor- 
ate. The room is about twenty-five feet square, and well 
lighted. Along one side runs the great range, fully fifteen 
feet long, with its warming racks covered by an enormous iron 
hood. Along the walls are the sinks, shelves and tables. Run- 
ning down the centre of the room is a long table for the con- 
venience of the cooks. In place of wainscoting the walls are 
tiled — an arrangement by which the kitchen can be kept spot- 
less with least expenditure of time and labor. Near the 
kitchen are the china closets and supply stores. The usual 
kitchen force of the White House consists of one cook and a 
couple of helpers. 

For the preparation of the State dinners three French 
chefs are employed. They require two helpers each, and the 
kitchen is a scene of sizzling activity for the day. There are 
meats to be boiled, and baked and roasted; vegetables to be 
prepared; soups brewed and fancy dishes arranged. The 
bread used is also baked at the White House. The steward 
takes little part in this preparation, however, though he super- 



344 Inside History of the White House 

intends all. His task has been the compilation of the menu, 
the choosing of the china and the setting and decoration of the 
table. But as he is responsible for all, he superintends each 
in detail. 

An important point to-day is the new system of tradesmen 
service instituted during President Roosevelt's term when the 
White House was remodeled. Under the old conditions, the 
butchers' and bakers' wagons drove up to the north front of 
the house on the level of the main floor, and supplies were 
carried down the area steps and into the building that way. 
Under the present condition all supplies enter at the east 
entrance on the ground floor level, the wagons driving through 
under the north portico and never coming into view. 

The Wonderful China Service 

In respect to the table service of the White House, here is 
one feature in which the table of the President of the United 
States differs from that of other men of wealth. For the 
silver and china and glassware are more historical than those 
usually found in private homes, and therefor of greater value 
because of the associations connected with them. 

Each new mistress of the White House provides all or part 
of a new china service in keeping with her own tastes, and in 
consequence there are in the closets to-day no less than parts 
of half a dozen distinct services, representing the administra- 
tions as far as that of President Lincoln. Some of these serv- 
ices include many pieces, and the styles of decoration cover a 
wide range of color and design. Of almost all the pieces, how- 
ever, either the coat-of-arms of the nation or the national colors 
are introduced in some manner. 

The special table services, of silver, china and cut glass of 
to-day were specially designed' for the White House. One set 
of china, numbering originally fifteen hundred pieces, was 
selected by Mrs. Hayes and was decorated by Theodore R. 
Davis, the war artist, with exquisite paintings of American 
flowers, fruits, game, birds and fish. Each of the five hundred 



At the Table and in the Kitchen 345 

and twenty pieces of cut glass in use to-day are delicately 
engraved with the Arms of the United States. 

The principal service in the mansion to-day, and the only 
complete one, was ordered by Mrs. Roosevelt, who also selected 
the design for it. It is always used at the State dinners, sup- 
plemented by pieces of the sets which still remain in the house. 
Mrs. Lincoln selected a very beautiful and elaborate set of 
china, as did also Mrs. Grant, but Mrs. Cleveland and Mrs. 
McKinley only selected such pieces of china and glass as were 
necessary to supply the immediate needs of the dining table 
during their regimes. All the White House services are dec- 
orated in the best of taste. 

The silver and glass service is, however, extremely modest. 
There is none of the wealth of silver and cut glass so fre- 
quently displayed on the tables of many of our multi-million- 
aires. The glasses are cut simply with the President's coat- 
of-arms. The spoons and knives and forks are marked demo- 
cratically, "President's House." 



CHAPTER XXXVn 
Calling on the President 

CALLERS at the White House are required to observe 
certain rules, both written and unwritten. These rules 
vary with each administration, all depending upon the 
wishes or the habits of the President who happens to occupy 
the mansion at the time. Grant, for example, was most rigid 
in insisting upon punctuality on the part of his callers, and 
would see them only at certain hours. Lincoln and McKinley, 
on the other hand, would see callers at any hour of the day 
or night. 

The written rules of the White House so far as they con- 
cern the public, are very few and very concise. They are given 
officially as follows: 

The Cabinet will meet on Tuesday and Fridays from II 
A.M. until i P.M. 

Senators and Representatives will be received from 10 A.M. 
to 12 M., excepting on Cabinet days. 

Visitors having business with the President will be admitted 
from 12 to i o'clock daily, excepting Cabinet days, so far as 
public business will permit. 

The East Room will be open daily, Sundays excepted, for 
the inspection of visitors, between the hours of 10 A.M. and 
2 P.M. 

The Unwritten Law of the White House 

The unwritten rules include this one in particular: that in 
no circumstances may any caller of whatever position quote any 
words the President has spoken in the interview at the White 
House, except by special permission. For instance : 



Caujng on the President 347 

The day before the State election in Pennsylvania a certain 
United States Senator held a conference with President Roose- 
velt. At its close the Senator announced that the President 
was in hearty sympathy with the Republican organization in 
Pennsylvania, and this statement was given out for the pur- 
pose, it is said, of influencing voters. Mr. Roosevelt was very 
angry when he learned what had been done, and prepared the 
following statement, which was made public by Secretary Loeb : 

"For many years it has been the invariable practice never 
to attempt to quote a private conversation with the President. 
It has been found that as a matter of fact the man who quotes 
such a conversation usually misquotes it, whether consciously 
or unconsciously; and such an alleged conversation is under 
no circumstances to be held as calling for either explanation or 
denial by the President. The President is responsible for only 
what he himself says in public, for what he writes, or for what 
he explicitly authorizes the proper government officials to 
state, in his behalf." 

A story is told by E. J. Edwards that illustrates the work- 
ing of the unwritten law of the White House when that law is 
observed to the letter. This story shows how President 
Arthur trusted a newspaper correspondent, because the Presi- 
dent knew in his heart that the journalist would not violate the 
unwritten rule: 

In the closing days of President Arthur's Administration 
it was arranged that a newspaper writer should spend an after- 
noon with him, reviewing the important events of his adminis- 
tration, lifting the curtain a little so that the springs and motives 
that controlled public men and events might be revealed. The 
President chatted with delighted freshness and vigor, narrating 
things of which the public had no knowledge, so that the sum of 
his information was sure to be; of vast public value. As the 
newspaper writer arose to go, the President said : "Of course, 
this is not to appear as an interview with me." 

"Ah, Mr. President," said the correspondent, "then the 
value of the story is almost ruined." 



348 Inside History of the White House 

"But I cannot permit that," replied the President, "you 
must not write it as coming from me." 

Arthur was about to go out of office. He would be power- 
less in a few days to do injury. Published as an interview 
with him the statement would have made a sensation of national 
consequence, but that reporter was no more tempted to violate 
that understanding than he would have been tempted to cut off 
his hand. 

How President McKinley Received Callers 

President McKinley received persons who had business with 
him every day, except Cabinet days and Sundays, between 
twelve and one o'clock, in his private reception room on the 
second floor of the White House. 

"Here he usually finds waiting for him," continues a 
McClure Magazine article, published in 1898, "a dozen or 
more little groups of people and many individuals who have 
come alone. He moves from one to another, as it pleases him, 
shaking hands with each. His hand grasp is quite up to date ; 
he holds his hand high and touches the ends of the fingers 
rather than clasps the palm. He is a most interesting figure 
as he stands with his left hand in his trousers pocket, pushing 
back the skirt of his long coat and slowly whirling his eye- 
glasses in his right hand. 

"After a pleasant word he always leads immediately to the 
subject in hand. He seems to get at once at the point of a 
man's wishes. In fact, he has been informed before he goes 
in, as a rule, what the man wants to see him about, and he 
never forgets. He remembers names with extraordinary 
exactness and places people immediately. 

"As the President passes about the room from one group of 
visitors to another, he takes in, from the corner of his eye, 
everybody who is waiting for him. His quick side glance is 
one of the most interesting things about his calm, immovable 
face ; he sees everything in going about the room, though only 
a keen observer would notice that he saw anything." 




THE PRESIDENT'S ROOM 




A CORNER IN THE WHITE HOUSE LIBRARY 



Caujng on the; President 351 

Lincoln's Gentleness With White House Callers 

The White House doorkeeper, Mr. Pendel, in his Thirty- 
Six Years in the White House, tells many interesting facts 
about Lincoln's gentleness with White House callers. Mr. 
. Pendel says : 

"I recall an incident that serves to show the gentle nature 
of the great President and what manner of man he was. There 
came to the White House one day another Irish woman. She 
was well advanced in years, and was accompanied by her little 
daughter. She took a seat and waited for the President until 
he had finished with the other visitors. She then came for- 
ward with her daughter. She was tidy and neat in her person, 
and very modest in manner. She said, 'Mr. President, my 
husband is down sick at the hospital in Fredericksburg, and I 
would like to have him discharged, for years have my husband 
and two sons, all three, in the army, and I need the help of one 
of them, either one of my sons or my husband'. The Presi- 
dent said, 'You make an affidavit to that effect and bring it 
back to me'. In the course of a day or so she returned again, 
and the President so arranged it that she could go down and 
take the order for the husband's or son's discharge. She had 
been gone probably three weeks, when one day she returned 
to the White House. When she came to speak to the Presi- 
dent her voice was full of sorrow, and she was nearly crying as 
she said, 'Mr. President, when I got down there he was dead. 
Now yers have two sons yet. I want to see if yer won't dis- 
charge one to help me get along, and yers can have the other 
one'. Then the President said to her as he had done before : 
'You make an affidavit to that effect and bring it to me'. She 
did so, and returned with the affidavit to the President. After 
he had arranged it so that she was to get one of her sons back, 
she stepped up to him and said, 'Mr. President, may God bless 
you, and may you live many long years'. After she had left 
the room and there was nobody in the office with the President 
but myself, he said to me, looking up into my face, 'I believe 
that old woman is honest'." 



352 Inside History oe the White House 

When a caller deserved a firmer hand and a sterner attitude, 
however, Mr. Lincoln was just as ready with gentle rebuke or 
reproach, as Doorkeeper Pendel shows when he relates the 
story of a certain Major who called upon Mr. Lincoln, a man 
more or less notorious for his career of reckless gaiety. It 
seems that the Major in question was anxious to get into Gen- 
eral Hancock's corps, then being organized. He told the 
President he would like to get in this corps, and left his papers 
with him. In the course of a few days he returned and 
reminded Mr. Lincoln of the fact of having left his applica- 
tion and requested a reply. Mr. Lincoln said to him, "Yes, I 
have read your papers, but I do not find anything very strong 
in them." "Why," said the Major, "don't you see what Gen- 
eral Hancock said?" "Yes," replied the President, "he says 
you are a gallant officer." "What more could you want him to 
say?" asked the Major in surprise. "Why," replied Mr. Lincoln, 
"he does not say that you are a sober officer." The man, 
Mr. Pendel explains, carried signs of dissipation on his face. 

Grant Made Rigid White House Rules 

President Grant made an entirely new set of White House 
rules, insisting that they be rigidly observed. His reforms in 
this respect called forth the following in the press : 

"There never was a time, probably, when the Executive 
Mansion was so free from hangers-on and kitchen-cabinet 
arrangements generally. After four o'clock in the afternoon, 
the building assumes all the appearance of a private residence. 
The President refuses to see callers on business in the evening. 
The people who do call pay their respects or spend the evening 
in the private parlor with the President and Mrs. Grant, and 
the intercourse on such occasions is never allowed to approach 
business, save on some urgent public necessity." 

And as to President Grant's firmness in the matter of the 
punctuality that he expected of his callers, this illustration is 
furnished by Doorkeeper Pendel. 

One day Mr. Pendel saw two gentlemen coming up the 



Calling on the President 353 

sidewalk. It was after three o'clock in the afternoon. Mr. 
Pendel thought: "The President will not see these gentle- 
men." He stepped to the door and met them, saying, "Gentle- 
men, it is after the hour when the President receives visitors." 
They answered, "We have an engagement with the President." 
Pendel said, "All right gentlemen, if that is the case, walk in." 
Pendel went into the inner corridor, and there met the Presi- 
dent, who had just lit a cigar, and was about to take his evening 
stroll. He said, "Mr. President, these two gentlemen say they 
have an engagement with you. I told them it was after your 
hours for receiving visitors." The President replied, "Yes, I 
had an engagement with them at two o'clock; it is now after 
three o'clock, and I must poke my nose out of doors a bit, to 
get a little fresh air." Grant stepped to the waiting room 
where he met the visitors and said, "Gentlemen, your engage- 
ment was for two o'clock ; it is now after three, and you failed 
to fulfil your engagement. I must have a little opportunity to 
poke, my nose out of doors, and get some fresh air. Good 
afternoon." And the President walked out, smoking his cigar. 

Grant Forbids Usher to Lie for Him 

General Horace Porter, in his account of his personal expe- 
riences with President Grant, speaks of how it was often said 
that the General hated only two persons, the coward and the 
liar. Some of Grant's officers, according to General Porter, 
used to say : "Grant is tediously truthful." Then General 
Porter relates the following : 

"When Grant became President an usher brought him a 
card one day when he was in a private room (at the White 
House) writing a message to Congress. 'Shall I tell the gen- 
tleman you are not in?' asked the usher. 'No', answered the 
President, 'you will say nothing of the kind. I don't lie myself, 
and I won't have any one lie for me'. 



CHAPTER XXXVIH 
Notable Visitors at the White House 

OVERNIGHT visitors at the White House, in the various 
administrations, have embraced notable men and women 
from all States in the Union and from all the countries 
of the world. Visitors who have broken bread with the Presi- 
dents and their families at luncheon or dinner, or who have 
been received informally in the evenings and at other times, 
include men, women and children from every walk of life, and 
of every race and every calling. 

President Roosevelt, in his seven years at the White House, 
has entertained cowboys and ranchmen, former Rough Riders, 
settlement workers, authors both known and unknown, strug- 
gling artists, and men of every race from Booker T. Wash- 
ington to a Malay student. 

Altogether, the qualifications that enable a man to become 
a guest at the White House to-day are very simple. If a man 
or woman has done something for his country or for humanity, 
he is invited by the Chief Executive to come to the mansion of 
the head of the nation. If he be an old friend of a President, 
no matter how humble his station in life, he is asked to sup with 
the Presidential family. 

Author of "The Simple Life" Visits President Roosevelt 

A charming and sympathetic account of his visit to the 
White House as the guest of President Roosevelt, is given in 
McClure's Magazine, by the Rev. Charles Wagner, author of 
The Simple Life. Pastor Wagner says : 

"I arrived at the White House, toward the end of the after- 



Notable Visitors at the; White; House; 355 

noon, late September. The Presidential residence is a build- 
ing of the Greek order, on simple lines, entirely white, and 
situated in the midst of immense lawns and gardens. Beyond 
is the Washington Monument, in the form of a colossal obelisk, 
its smooth shaft springing upward like the symbol of a great 
idea. The White House is entered like a private dwelling; 
there are no sentries ; the main effect is that of simplicity. To 
me this entire absence of pomp was more impressive than all 
the majestic exhibitions of authority I have seen about the 
residences of sovereigns. It is, however, the testimony of 
many of its former inhabitants that as a home, and for com- 
fort, the White House leaves much to be desired. But it has 
become a historic building, and no splendid residence, no 
palace, however rich and beautiful, could replace it. 

"A servant conducted me to my room, which was elegantly 
furnished, and toward eight o'clock I was informed that the 
President had asked for me. 

"I found him in one of the drawing-rooms of the first floor, 
which contains the portraits of former presidents. He came 
to meet me with outstretched hands, and a moment afterward 
we were at table, four in all, including the President, Mrs. 
Roosevelt and Mrs. Roosevelt- West, of New York. It was 
to be a little friendly dinner. 

" 'Where are the boys' ? asked the President. 
' 'They are on their way to bed', some one answered. 

" 'Never mind, let them come and say "How do you do ?" 
to Mr. Wagner'. 

"And I see two young boys coming in, from nine to eleven 
years old, evidently tired out after a long run, their eyes fore- 
telling sleep. 

" 'I've a very important question to ask you', I said to one 
of them. 'Do you sleep with your hands open or shut' ? 

" 'I don't know', he replied, 'as I'm asleep'. 

"The President laughed heartily at this answer, which was 
of course the only good one to make, and the little fellows hur- 
ried off to bed." 



356 Inside History of the White House 

McKinley Entertains His Farm Manager 
At the second inauguration among the White House guests, 
as described in Capital Stories About Famous Americans, were 
Jack Adams, who runs the President's farm near Canton, and 
a friend, Mr. Alexander, a tinsmith, from Minerva, Columbiana 
County, Ohio. Mr. Adams came to Washington at the Presi- 
dent's invitation, but had no idea of doing more than "eating- 
one meal in the White House," as he expressed it. Here is Mr. 
Adams' own story of how he happened to be stopping at the 
White House during the inauguration week : 

"Just before the inauguration of 1897, Mr McKinley asked 
me if I did not want to come to Washington. Well, I was 
pretty busy on the farm just then, so I said no, I would come 
to the next one. The President laughed, and said to remind 
him and he would send me a pass. I got it. When my friend 
Alexander and I went up to the White House the President 
held out his hand and said : 'I'm glad to see you', and asked 
me about my health and my family and how everybody was 
doing. I told him I had just come to town and got a room. 
He said : 'Not a bit of it. You are to stay right here in the 
White House, you and your friend'. I said that I did not like 
to impose upon him, but he replied that it was no imposition, 
and that I must bring my grip and stay the week out as his 
guest, and he would see that I had a good time and do every- 
thing for me that he could do. He made out a ticket that 
passed us to the grand stand to see the parade ; also gave us 
seats at the Capitol and admission to the inauguration ball." 

Washington Irving Meets Dolly Madison 

That beloved American author, Washington Irving, visited 
the White House during the administration of President 
Madison, and describes his meeting with the famous Dolly 
Madison thus : 

"Understanding that Mrs. Madison was to have her levee 
or drawing-room that very evening, I swore I would be there. 
But how ? was the question. I had got away into Georgetown, 



Notable Visitors at the White House 357 

and the persons to whom my letters of introduction were 
directed lived all upon Capitol Hill, about three miles off, 
while the President's house was exactly half-way. Here was 
a non-plus enough to startle any man of less enterprising spirit ; 
but I had sworn to be there, and I determined to keep my oath. 
So I mounted with a stout heart to my room ; resolved to gird 
up my loins and sally forth on my expedition. In a few min- 
utes I emerged from dirt and darkness into the blazing splen- 
dor of Mrs. Madison's drawing-room. Here I was most gra- 
ciously received ; found a crowded collection of men and women, 
and in ten minutes was hand and glove with half the people in 
the assemblage. Mrs. Madison is a fine, portly, buxom dame, 
who has a smile and a pleasant word for everybody." 

Irving the Guest of President Fillmore 

Washington Irving again visited the White House many 
years after his visit in Madison's time, this time as the guest 
of President Fillmore. Concerning this, his second visit, 
Washington Irving wrote : 

"I have been much pleased with what I have seen of the 
President and his family, and have been most kindly received 
by them." 

Yesterday I made a delightful excursion, with some of our 
household and some of the young folks of the President's 
family down the Potomac to Mount Vernon. We began by a 
very pleasant breakfast at the President's. 

"In the evening I was at the President's levee. It was 
very crowded. I met with many interesting people there, but I 
had no chance of enjoying conversation with any of them, for 
in a little while the same scene began which took place here 
eleven years ago, on my last visit. I had to shake hands with 
man, woman and child." 

Thackeray Received at the White House 

William Makepiece Thackeray, the great English author, 
was received at the White House and formally entertained by 



358 Inside History of the White House 

President Pierce, who at that time had been an occupant of the 
mansion only a few weeks, the date of Thackeray's visit being 
April 5, 1853, about a month and a day after the inauguration 
of the new President. In a letter describing his visit, 
Thackeray wrote : 

"At Washington, I passed some three weeks pleasantly 
enough among the great people of the Republic, and receiving 
a great deal of hospitality from them and our Minister, Mr. 
Crampton, the most hospitable of all possible diplomatists. I 
saw the two Presidents (they came together to my lecture), 
and dined at the White House in the reign of the late Sov- 
ereign, Mr. Fillmore." 

James Fenimore Cooper a Guest of President Monroe 

During President Monroe's administration, the American 
novelist, James Fenimore Cooper, twice visited the White. 
House, his own account of his experience being as follows : 

"The principal entrance of the 'White House' communi- 
cates with a spacious vestibule, or rather a hall. From this we 
passed into an apartment, where those who visit the President 
in the mornings, are to wait their turns for the interview. Our 
names had been given in at the door, and after two or three, 
who preceded us, had been admitted, we were desired to follow 
the domestic. Our reception was in a cabinet, and the visit, of 
course, quite short, Colonel Monroe received us politely, but 
with an American gravity. He offered his hand to me. 

"On the succeeding Wednesday, Mrs. Monroe opened her 
doors to all the world. No invitation was necessary, it being 
the usage for the wife of the President to receive once a fort- 
night during the session without distinction of persons. We 
reached the White House at nine. The court (or rather the 
grounds) was filled with carriages, and the company was 
arriving in great numbers. On this occasion two or three 
additional drawing-rooms were opened, though the frugality 
of Congress has prevented them from finishing the principal 
reception-room of the building." 



Notable Visitors at the White House 361 

"On another occasion (of a dinner at the White House) 
we were honored with the presence of Mrs. Monroe and two 
or three of her female relatives. Crossing the hall we were 
admitted to a drawing-room in which most of the company was 
already assembled. The hour was six. By far the greater 
part of the guests were men, and perhaps two-thirds were mem- 
bers of Congress. 

"There was great gravity of mien in most of the company, 
and neither any very marked exhibition, nor any positively 
striking want of grace of manner. The conversation was a 
little sombre, though two or three men of the world got around 
the ladies, where the battle of words was maintained with suf- 
ficient spirit. To me the entertainment had rather a cold than 
a formal air. When dinner was announced, the oldest Senator 
present (there were two, and seniority of service is meant) 
took Mrs. Monroe and led her to the table. The rest of the 
party followed without much order. The President took a 
lady as usual and preceded the rest of the guests. 

"The drawing-room was an apartment of good size, and of 
just proportions. It might have been about as large as a 
better sort of a Paris salon in a private hotel. It was furnished 
in a mixed style, partly English and partly French, a custom 
that prevails a good deal in all the fashions of this country. It 
was neat, sufficiently rich, without being at all magnificent, and, 
on the whole, very much like a similar apartment in the house 
of a man of rank and fortune in Europe. 

"The dining-room was in better taste than is common here, 
being quite simple and but little furnished. The table was 
large and rather handsome. The service was in china, as is 
uniformly the case, plates being exceedingly rare, if at all used. 
There was, however, a rich plateau, and a great abundance of 
the smaller articles of table-plate. The cloth, napkins, etc., 
were fine and beautiful. The dinner was served in the French 
style, a little Americanized. The dishes were handed around, 
though some of the guests, appearing to prefer their own cus- 
toms, coolly helped themselves to what they found at hand. 



362 Inside History of the White House 

"Of attendants there were a good many. They were neatly 
dressed, out of livery. To conclude, the whole entertainment 
might have passed for a better sort of European dinner-party, 
at which the guests were too numerous for general or very 
agreeable discourse, and some of them too new to be entirely 
at their ease. Mrs. Monroe arose at the end of the dessert, and 
withdrew, attended by two or three of the most gallant of the 
company. No sooner was his wife's back turned, than the 
President reseated himself, inviting his guests to imitate the 
action. After allowing his guests sufficient time to renew the 
recollections of similar enjoyments of their own, he arose him- 
self, giving the hint to his company that it was time to rejoin 
the ladies. In the drawing-room coffee was served, and every 
one left the house before nine." 

Captain Marryat Visits Van Buren 

That English novelist, beloved of all boys who like to read 
stories of the sea, was a guest at the White House during the 
term of President Van Buren, and this is his own account of 
his visit : 

"Mr. Van Buren is a very gentleman-like, intelligent man; 
very proud of talking over his visit to England and the English 
with whom he was acquainted. It is remarkable, that although 
at the head of the Democratic party, Mr. Van Buren has taken 
a step striking at the very roots of their boasted equality, and 
one on which General Jackson did not venture — i. e., he has pre- 
vented the mobocracy from intruding themselves at his levees. 
The police are now stationed at the door, to prevent the intru- 
sion of any improper person. A few years ago, a fellow could 
drive his cart, or hackney coach, up to the door, walk into the 
saloon in all his dirt, and force his way to the President, that 
he might shake him by the one hand, while he flourished his 
whip with the other. The scenes which took place when 
refreshments were handed round, the injury done to the furni- 
ture, and the disgust of the ladies, may be well imagined. Mr. 
Van Buren deserves great credit for this step, for it was a bold 



Notable; Visitors at the White House 363 

one; but I must not praise him too much, or he may lose his 
next election." 

Charles Dickens at the Executive Mansion 

When Charles Dickens paid his visit to America on a lec- 
ture tour, he was invited to the White House by President 
Tyler. The distinguished novelist afterward wrote a vivid 
description of his stay at the White House, in which he said : 

"The President's mansion is more like an English club- 
house, both within and without, than any other kind of estab- 
lishment with which I can compare it. The ornamental ground 
about it has been laid out in garden walks ; they are pretty, and 
agreeable to the eye ; though they have that uncomfortable air 
of having been made yesterday, which is far from favorable to 
the display of such beauties. 

"My first visit to this house was on the morning after my 
arrival, when I was carried thither by an official gentleman, 
who was so kind as to charge himself with my presentation to 
the President. 

"We entered a large hall, and having twice or thrice rung 
a bell which nobody answered, walked without further cere- 
mony through the rooms on the ground floor, as divers other 
gentlemen (mostly with their hats on, and their hands in their 
pockets), were doing very leisurely. Some of these had ladies 
with them, to whom they were showing the premises ; others 
were lounging on the chairs and sofas. 

"After glancing at these loungers, who were scattered over 
a pretty drawing-room, opening upon a terrace which com- 
manded a beautiful prospect of the river and the adjacent coun- 
try, and who were sauntering too about a larger state-room 
called the Eastern Drawing-room, we went upstairs into 
another chamber, where were certain visitors, waiting for 
audiences. At sight of my conductor, a black in plain clothes 
and yellow slippers who was gliding noiselessly about and 
whispering messages in the ears of the more impatient, made a 
sign of recognition, and glided off to announce him. 



364 Inside History op the White House 

"We had previously looked into another chamber fitted all 
round with a great bare wooden desk or counter, whereon lay 
files of newspapers, to which sundry gentlemen were referring. 
But there were no such means of beguiling the time in this 
apartment, which was as unpromising and tiresome as any 
waiting-room in one of our public establishments, or any physi- 
cian's dining-room during his hours of consultation at home. 

"There were some fifteen or twenty persons in the room. 
One, a tall, wiry, muscular old man, from the West, sunburnt 
and swarthy, with a brown white hat on his knees, and a giant 
umbrella resting between his legs, who sat bolt upright in his 
chair, frowning steadily at the carpet, and twitching the hard 
lines about his mouth, as if he had made up his mind 'to fix' the 
President on what he had to say, and wouldn't bate him a 
grain. Another, a Kentucky farmer, six-feet-six in height, 
with his hat on, and his hands under his coattails, who leaned 
against the wall and kicked the floor with his heel, as though he 
had Time's head under his shoe, and were literally 'killing' 
him. A third, an oval-faced, bilious-looking man, with sleek 
black hair cropped close, and whiskers and beard shaved down 
to blue dots, who sucked the head of a thick stick, and from 
time to time took it out of his mouth, to see how it was getting 
on. A fourth did nothing but wnistle. 

"We had not waited in this room many minutes, before the 
black messenger returned, and conducted us into another of 
smaller dimensions, where, at a business-like table covered 
with papers, sat the President himself. He looked somewhat 
worn and anxious, but the expression of his face was mild and 
pleasant, and his manner remarkably unaffected, gentlemanly 
and agreeable. I thought that in his whole carriage and 
deemanor he became his station singularly well. 

"Being advised that the sensible etiquette of the Republi- 
can court admitted of a traveler, like myself, declining, with- 
out any impropriety, an invitation to dinner, which did not 
reach me until I had concluded my arrangements for leaving 
Washington some days before that to which it referred, I only 



Notable Visitors at the White House 365 

returned to this house once. It was on the occasion of one of 
those general assemblies which are held on certain nights, 
between the hours of nine and twelve o'clock, and are called, 
rather oddly, levees. 

"I went, with my wife, at about ten. There was a pretty 
dense crowd of carriages and people in the courtyard, and so 
far as I could make out, there were no very clear regulations 
for the taking up or setting down of company. There were 
certainly no policemen to soothe startled horses, either by saw- 
ing at their bridles or flourishing truncheons in their eyes. 
But there was no confusion or disorder. Our carriage reached 
the porch in its turn, without any blustering, shouting, back- 
ing or other disturbance; and we dismounted with as much 
ease and comfort as though we had been escorted by the whole 
Metropolitan force. 

"The suite of rooms on the ground-floor were lighted up, 
and a military band was playing in the hall. In the smaller 
drawing-room, the centre of a circle of company, were the 
President and his daughter-in-law, who acted as the lady of the 
mansion, and a very interesting, graceful and accomplished 
lady too. One gentleman who stood among the group appeared 
to take upon himself the functions of a master of the cere- 
monies. I saw no other officers or attendants, and none were 
needed. 

"The great drawing-room and the other chambers on the 
ground-floor were crowded to excess. The company was not, 
in our sense of the term, select, for it comprehended persons of 
very many grades and classes ; nor was there any great display 
of costly attire ; indeed, some of the costumes may have been, 
for aught I know, grotesque enough. But the decorum and 
propriety of behaviors which prevailed were unbroken by any 
rude or disagreeable incident ; and every man, even among the 
miscellaneous crowd in the hall who were admitted, without any 
orders or tickets, to look on, appeared to feel that he was a part 
of the institution, and was responsible for its preserving a 
becoming character, and appearing to the best advantage. 



366 Inside History of the White House 

"That these visitors, too, whatever their station, were not 
without some refinement of taste and appreciation of intellec- 
tual gifts, and gratitude to those men, who, by the peaceful 
exercises of great abilities, shed new charms and associations 
upon the homes of their countrymen, and elevate their char- 
acter in other lands, was most earnestly testified by their recep- 
tion of Washington Irving, my dear friend, who had recently 
been appointed Minister at the Court of Spain, and who was 
among them that night, in his new character, for the first and 
last time before going abroad. I sincerely believe that in all 
the madness of American politics, few men would have been so 
earnestly, devotedly and affectionately caressed, as this most 
charming writer ; and I have seldom respected a public assem- 
bly more, than I did this eager throng." 



CHAPTER XXXIX 
Royal and Titled Guests 

A SCORE or more of members of the royal families of 
various countries, together with perhaps a hundred titled 
foreigners of distinction, have been guests at the White 
House during the one hundred and eight years of its existence. 
Among these was the Prince of Wales, now King Edward VII., 
of England, who for one week was a guest of President 
Buchanan at the White House. Lafayette was a guest at the 
President's house during the administration of John Quincy 
Adams. Prince Napoleon Bonaparte, son of Jerome Bona- 
parte, visited President Lincoln. The King of the Sandwich 
Islands and the Grand Duke Alexis, of Russia, were guests of 
President Grant, and two distinguished foreign ladies, the 
Infanta Eulalie, of Spain, and Queen Emma of Hawaii, were 
guests of Presidents Cleveland and Johnson. 

Some details of the visits of these and other notable foreign- 
ers who stayed at the White House will be found in this chap- 
ter, together with mention of the visits of others no less hon- 
ored by our Presidents. 

President Roosevelt's Titled Visitors 

Theodore Roosevelt has entertained a great number of 
royal and titled guests at the White House, including the Duke 
of the Abruzzi, who is a relative of the King of Italy, and 
who, at this writing, is reported to be engaged to marry the 
daughter of a United States Senator. Then there was the 
Crown Prince of Sweden, and the Rev. Charles Wagner, 
author of The Simple Life, Lord Curzon and others. 



368 Inside History of the White House 

Perhaps the most distinguished of President Roosevelt's 
royal visitors, was Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of the 
German Emperor. He paid a visit to the White House on the 
afternoon of February 24, 1902. On arrival at the railroad 
station he was met by Secretary of State Hay and by Admiral 
Evans, with whom he drove to the White House. He was 
received by President Roosevelt in the Blue Parlor, and an 
interesting incident in connection with his presentation to the 
President was that he introduced himself to our Chief Execu- 
tive, there being no one in Washington of a rank high enough 
to introduce a man of the rank of a German Prince of the blood 
royal. 

From the Blue Parlor the Prince was led by President 
Roosevelt to the Green Room, where he met the ladies of Mr. 
Roosevelt's family. The call was entirely one of ceremony. That 
evening, however, a dinner was given at the White House in 
honor of Prince Henry, the banquet taking place in the East 
Room instead of, as usual, in the State Dining-room, in order 
the better to accommodate the great number of invited guests. 
Thousands of electric lights added to the brilliance of the scene, 
these lights being arranged in the form of all sorts of naval 
appurtenances of a ship of war, such as anchors, ropes, can- 
opies, etc. No ladies were present. The menu was one that 
was copied in the press of the country as being of exceptional 
merit in the eyes of the guest of honor. 

President Tyler's Titled Guest 

A foreign and titled visitor of note, who visited the White 
House during the administration bf President John Tyler, was 
the Prince de Joinville, a son of Louis Philippe of France. This 
young man had gained distinction for bringing the body of 
Napoleon Bonaparte home to France from the island of St. 
Helena. His age at the time of his visit here was only twenty- 
three, yet the whole nation honored him, while the President of 
the United States accorded him special honors, as the following 
account, written by an eye-witness of the ceremonies at the 



Royal and Titled Guests 369 

White House, Mrs. Fremont, daughter of Senator Benton, of 
Missouri, will show : 

"President Tyler gave for Prince de Joinville not only the 
official dinner of ceremony, but a ball also. It was said there 
was Cabinet remonstrance against dancing in the White House 
as a 'want of dignity', but Mr. Tyler rightly thought a dance 
would best please a young navy man and a Frenchman, and we 
had, therefore, a charming and unusually brilliant ball. All 
our army and navy officers were in uniform as the Prince and 
his suite wore theirs, and, for the son of a King, the Diplomatic 
Corps were in full court dress. Mrs. Tyler was an invalid, and 
saw only her old friends; but Mrs. Robert Tyler, the wife of 
the eldest son, was every way fitted to be the lady of the White 
House. From both her parents, especially her witty and beau- 
tiful mother, she had society qualifications and tact, while the 
President's youngest daughter was beautiful as well as gentle 
and pleasant. 

"Mr. Webster as Secretary of State, was next to the Presi- 
dent, the chief person. For fine appearance, for complete fit- 
ness for that representative position, both Mrs. Webster and 
himself have never been surpassed. 

"The Prince was tall and fine-looking, and Miss Tyler and 
himself opened the ball, while those of us who knew French 
well were assigned to his officers. 

"We had remained in the Oval reception-room until the 
company was assembled, and then, the President leading, the 
whole foreign party were taken through all the drawing-rooms, 
ending by our taking places for the Quadrille d'honneur in the 
East Room ; that ceremony over, dancing became general." 

A Bonaparte Entertained by Lincoln 

Another titled visitor from France, one entertained by 
President Lincoln, was Prince Napoleon Bonaparte, son of 
Jerome Bonaparte. Of his visit to the White House, the news- 
papers of the time said : 

"He called on the President at twelve o'clock, and was duly 



370 Inside History of the White House 

presented by the Secretary of State. The President received 
the Prince with marked courtesy, and welcomed him to the 
country in a few simple but hearty words of compliment. With- 
out seeking, he said, to attach to this flattering visit of one so 
closely allied to the French throne, at this solemn crisis of the 
country's history, an undue importance, he could but feel that 
his presence at the Capital was a guarantee of the friendly inter- 
est and generous sympathy of the French Government. 

"The Prince listened with deep interest to the informal 
address of the President, and replied with brevity and much 
feeling. He dined at the White House that evening. As the 
Prince travels incognito, the dinner was quite en famille. 
There were twenty-seven persons present. The party was 
composed of the President and the Presidential family, Mrs. 
Lincoln, Mrs. Grimsley, Mr. Edwards, Mr. R. T. Lincoln, Mr. 
Meconkey and Messieurs Nicolay and Hay, the private secre- 
taries of the President." 

Grant Receives the King of the Sandwich Islands 

Doorkeeper Pendel tells of the visit at the White House of 
the King of the Sandwich Islands. His Majesty was the guest 
of President Grant, at a State dinner. Mr. Pendel informs us 
that the King sat on the south side of the table in the State 
dining-room. The King had three valets, the chief one being 
his cup-bearer. Those men, all three of them, stood at the 
King's back. The chief valet, or cup-bearer, as the courses 
were served, would take the dishes and pass them to the King. 
All three of these men wore regalias, in the shape of ladies' 
"Bertha capes." 

Grand Duke Alexis Visits Grant 

The Grand Duke Alexis, the third son of the Czar Alexan- 
der, of Russia, visited the White House in November, 187 1, 
and was received with great ceremony by President Grant. 
Again we cannot do better than quote the newspaper despatches 
of the time, in which it was stated that : 



Royal and Titled Guests 371 

"Long before one o'clock, a throng of people had congre- 
gated upon the portico to witness the arrival. Many ladies 
were present, but with the exception of the representatives of 
the Press, no one was admitted to the ante-room through which 
the Grand Duke and suite would pass to the Blue Parlor, where 
the reception by the President took place. Soon after twelve 
o'clock the members of the Cabinet with their wives who had 
invitations to be present, began to arrive, the first being Sec- 
retary and Mrs. Delano, followed at short intervals by the 
Attorney-General and Mrs. Akerman, Secretary Boutwell and 
Secretary Robeson. At one o'clock, the excitement by the 
throng outside betokened the arrival of the Imperial visitor, 
and the doors of the mansion were thrown wide open. As they 
alighted from the carriages, a hearty cheer went up from those 
assembled on the portico, the Grand Duke acknowledging the 
salutation by turning, when he reached the door, and removing 
his cap. He entered the ante-room in company with Minister 
Catacazy and Admiral Poisset, followed by the other members 
of the suite. They were immediately ushered into the parlors, 
and the President, with Secretary Fish, Postmaster-General 
Creswell, Generals Porter, Babcock and Dent, and Marshal 
Sharpe, came downstairs from the Executive office, and, pass- 
ing through the anterooms, proceeded to the reception parlor 
where the ceremonies took place. 

"Minister Catacazy first presented the Grand Duke to the 
President, and they shook hands. The Duke said it afforded 
him much pleasure to meet the chief of the nation with whom 
his own was on intimate terms of friendship, and the President 
cordially welcomed him and expressed the hope that his sojourn 
in this country would be both pleasant and gratifying. The 
Duke then presented the members of his suite to the President. 
The President in turn presented the members of his Cabinet 
and his official attendants, Generals Porter, Dent and Babcock 
to the Duke. After the introductions here were concluded, 
the President escorted the Grand Duke to the Red Parlor, 
where Secretary Fish presented him to the ladies, viz. : Mrs. 



372 Inside History of the; White House 

Grant and Miss Nellie Grant, Mrs. Akerman, Mrs. Delano, 
Mrs. Sharpe, Miss Bessie Sharpe and also to Mr. Dent, the 
father of Mrs. Grant. 

"The other part of the company followed into the Red 
Parlor, where a brief but general conversation took place 
among all the parties, the Duke addressing himself especially 
to Mrs. Grant. The interview lasted only fifteen minutes. 
The Grand Duke walked in front, as on entering, and was 
cheered by the crowd outside as he reached the portico. He 
and Minister Catacazy and Admiral Poisset took seats in the 
same carriage — an open one. The Duke lifted his cap as the 
carriage drove from the premises, and the suite in carriages 
followed, all returning to Minister Catacazy's residence. The 
parlors of the Executive Mansion where the Grand Duke was 
received were luxuriantly decorated with flowers culled in the 
conservatory attached to the premises. 

"The Duke wore a uniform of blue cloth, short frock coat 
with gold epaulets, a light blue sash over his shoulder and a 
sword. He removed his chapeau immediately upon entering 
the door. Minister Catacazy wore his Court uniform, heavily 
trimmed with gold lace. The members of the Duke's suite all 
wore full uniforms, elaborately slashed and decorated accord- 
ing to their respective rank. The President and members of 
his Cabinet were in full dress suits. Mrs. Delano was dressed 
in black velvet, a black lace shawl and pink ribbon headdress. 
Mrs. Akerman was dressed in black silk with a train and a 
bonnet with maroon trimming. Mrs. Grant was assisted by 
Miss Nellie, Mrs. Sharpe and Miss Bessie Sharpe, and the 
ladies before mentioned. Mrs. Grant and the two young ladies, 
her daughter and Miss Sharpe were dressed in demi-toilette, 
black silk with point lace collar and sleeves and bright-colored 
ribbons. Mrs. Sharpe wore a pale green silk with train." 

Queen of Hawaii Guest of President Johnson 

In 1866, Queen Emma, of Hawaii, while making a trip 
around the world, visited Washington, and was received af the 



Royal and Titled Guests 375 

White House by President Johnson. She was the widow of 
King Kamehameha IV. The President received her and her 
suite at the White House, a peculiar feature of the entertain- 
ment being that the White House was that evening thrown 
open to the public that all who wished might enter and look 
at them. 

The Queen was introduced to all the ladies of President 
Johnson's family, and altogether every possible courtesy was 
paid to the guest from the then unimportant islands of the 
Pacific. She wore, at the dinner, a low cut gown of black silk 
with a mauve ribbon at her throat, and ornaments consisting of a 
diamond brooch and a necklace of jet. A tiara of jet crowned 
her head, to which was attached a white veil of finest lace. 

The Infanta Eislalie Received by President Cleveland 

In May, 1893, the Infanta Eulalie, of Spain, member of the 
royal family, was received at the White House as the guest of 
President and Mrs. Cleveland. Nineteen Spanish nobles 
accompanied the Infanta and many of the suite were present at 
the State dinner given the Princess at the White House. The 
dinner was served in the East Room, as was the case years 
later when Prince Henry, of Prussia, dined with President 
Roosevelt — in order to make room for the large number of 
persons present. The Infanta was accompanied by her hus- 
band, and together they represented Spain at the World's Fair 
at Chicago. 

Doorkeeper Pendel, in his Thirty-Six Years in the White 
House, gives further facts in relation to the visit of this mem- 
ber of the royal house of Spain, in which we are told that upon 
arriving in this country she was chaperoned by one of our 
naval officers, Captain Davis. When she arrived at Washing- 
ton she was met at the depot by the Secretary to the President, 
Mr. Henry T. Thurber, with the President's carriage, drawn 
by four horses, and escorted by a troop of cavalry from Fort 
Myer. It was Troop B, of the Fourth, the late General Law- 
ton's troop. 



376 Insidk History op the White: House 

The Princess was driven to the Arlington Hotel, where she 
remained while in the city. Soon after her arrival at the 
Arlington the Princess called at the Executive Mansion and 
paid her respects to the President and Mrs. Cleveland, who, 
later in the day, returned the Princess' visit. 

The President gave a dinner in honor of the Princess, May 
26, 1893. Upon the arrival of the guests, they were escorted 
to the library to lay aside their wraps, and then to the East 
Room to meet the President and Mrs. Cleveland. The Prin- 
cess arrived a little late and Mr. Pendel, the doorkeeper, says 
that through the thoughtfulness of Mr. R. C. Mitchell, one of 
the ushers, the Princess' wrap was taken in charge at the 
entrance to the Red Room, which saved her the trouble of 
going to the library. "To the surprise of everybody the Prin- 
cess walked directly into the East Room as if that were part 
of the programme." Some of the officials were awaiting her 
arrival on the second floor, whence she was to be escorted to the 
East Room and presented to the President. These officials 
were "very much surprised and chagrined" when they learned 
that the Princess had gone to the East Room, unaccompanied 
except by her husband, and presented herself to the President 
and Mrs. Cleveland. The President noticed the Princess 
coming into the East Room, and, grasping the situation at a 
glance, very gracefully walked toward the Princess and 
received her with extended hand and a very gracious smile. 
Dinner was then served. 



CHAPTER XL 
Prince of Wales and General Lafayette 

PROBABLY the highest ranking royal visitor that ever 
entered the White House was the Prince of Wales, now 
King Edward VII., of England. In the autumn of 
i860, the Prince arrived in Washington, and spent a week at 
the White House as the guest of President Buchanan. He 
was entertained with honors of a kind never before lavished 
upon a guest of the nation. For all this elaborate entertain- 
ment, which cost President Buchanan a large sum, the host of 
the White House refused to be reimbursed by Congress, though 
a liberal sum was proffered by that body for the purpose. 

The Prince was accompanied by a very large suite, but 
owing to the limited accommodations of the White House, all 
but a very few of the suite were obliged to lodge at the British 
Embassy, as the guest of Lord Lyons, the British Minister. 
The Prince traveled incognito, in the sense that he took the 
rank of Baron, and was called for the time being, Baron 
Renfrew. 

Prince of Wales Guest of President Buchanan 

Of the Prince's formal reception at the White House, 
various correspondents of the time, from New York and else- 
where, wrote : 

"The morning papers announced a Presidential reception 
for twelve o'clock. Long before that hour a motley crowd 
assembled before closed doors. Shortly before noon the doors 
opened, and the rush began. Mr. Buchanan, the Prince, Lord 
Lyons, the Duke of Newcastle, Earl St. Germains and General 



378 Inside History of the White House 

Bruce stood in that order at the back of the East Room. Into 
the room hurried, pell-mell, ladies, gentlemen, officers, work- 
men, children and nurses. 

"The Royal party have certainly seen Democracy unshack- 
led for once. All bowed to the Prince, and the Prince returned 
their salutations. The President shook hands with everybody 
and hurried them along as quickly as possible. The rush at 
the doors was terrible. People clambered in and jumped out 
of the windows, and confusion reigned. The band played well. 
Finally the Prince retired from the reception-room to an upper 
window and was cheered most heartily. 

"At his reception at the White House, the Prince dressed 
in the usual blue coat and gray pants, and with ungloved hands, 
stood upon the right of the President, and Lord Lyons stood 
near the Prince. As each person passed, the President shook 
hands with his customary urbanity, and the Prince bowed his 
head as usual. Several ladies succeeded in shaking his hand, 
however. 

"By way of preparation for dinner, the Prince played a 
game of ten-pins in the gymnasium of a school for girls, 
whither he went with Miss Lane (President Buchanan's niece) 
and Mrs. Secretary Thompson. 

"A large number of Miss Lane's personal friends were 
invited to witness the fireworks from the windows of the 
White House. The Prince was in high spirits all the evening 
and made himself agreeable to many a fair dame, not alone by 
reason of his title, but because he developed himself for the 
first time as a gallant and gay young gentleman, who seemed 
desirous of pleasing." 

r 

Details of His Highnesses Reception 

Another correspondent later wrote of the Prince's visit, 
thus: 

"That visit was made at the instance of President Buchanan, 
who, through Queen Victoria, invited the young Prince to 
extend his tour through Canada to the United States. Both 



Prince; oe Wales and General Lafayette 379 

President Buchanan and his niece, Miss Harriet Lane, had met 
the Prince, Mr. Buchanan having been United States Minister 
at the Court of St. James during the administration of Presi- 
dent Pierce, and Miss Lane having lived in London with him. 
Queen Victoria, always kindness to American girls at the 
American Legation, was particularly so to the beautiful Miss 
Lane from the time of her presentation at Court. 

"When the Prince's visit was decided upon, Miss Lane 
made ready for it, and though it was summer time and Wash- 
ington was not altogether as pleasant as could have been 
desired, the Prince greatly enjoyed his visit, and he and his 
suite declared that their stay of one week at the White House, 
was the pleasantest part of their Western trip. President 
Buchanan, who was a bachelor, delighted in the companionship 
of the young, and he heartily enjoyed playing host for the 
nation to the son of Queen Victoria. 

"This visit was the first an heir apparent of England had 
made to this country, and everything possible was done to make 
him feel warmth and sincerity of the welcome accorded him. 
He rode and walked in and about Washington, visiting every- 
thing of interest, and making himself entirely at home every- 
where. Full of life and fond of pleasure, he wanted to have 
a good time, and to help others to enjoy themselves. 

"And incidentally, the people were pleased that their Presi- 
dent and his beautiful kinswoman did the honors so well. 

"The Prince remained at the White House for a week, and 
during his stay he went with the President and Miss Lane and 
a large party of gusts to Mount Vernon to visit the tomb of 
Washington. 

"He won the hearts of the American people on that visit by 
the homage he paid to the memory of Washington. As the 
Presidential party approached the tomb, the sarcophagus that 
contained the ashes of Washington came into view. Instantly 
the Prince uncovered, and as he reached the iron gateway he 
knelt down in silence and gazed into the interior. All stood 
about him in silence and with bowed, uncovered heads. The 



380 Inside History of the White House 

incident was a perfectly natural one, and the Prince impressed 
all who saw his conduct as a manly gentleman and one pos- 
sessed of a generous and amiable character. When it became 
known in Washington that the Prince had journeyed to Mount 
Vernon to show reverence to the memory of Washington, the 
people followed him in the streets and cheered him whenever 
he appeared." 

General Lafayette, Guest of President J. Q. Adams 

During the administration of President John Quincy 
Adams, a distinguished foreign visitor in the person of Gen- 
eral Lafayette, came to the White House as the guest of the 
President, and spent several weeks in the mansion. That was 
in 1825. Lafayette was present at Bunker Hill when Webster 
made his oration : "Fortunate, fortunate man !" he addressed 
him, "with what measure of devotion will you not thank God 
for the circumstances of your extraordinary life. Heaven saw 
fit to ordain that the electric spark of liberty should be con- 
ducted through you, from the new world to the old; and we 
have long ago received it in charge from our fathers, to cherish 
your name and your virtues." 

Congress voted General Lafayette two hundred thousand 
dollars and twenty-four thousand acres of land, during the 
time of his visit. 

On the day on which he was to bid farewell to America, 
September 7, 1825, a general holiday was proclaimed in Wash- 
ington. The men of highest rank in the Government met at 
the White House, to be present at the final reception. About 
twelve o'clock, it is recorded, the officers of the general Gov- 
ernment civil, military and naval, together with the authorities 
of Washington, Georgetown and Alexandria, with multi- 
tudes of citizens and strangers, assembled in the Presi- 
dent's house. Lafayette entered the great hall in silence, 
leaning on the Marshal of the District and one of the sons of 
the President. Mr. Adams then addressed Lafayette with 
these words : 



Prince of- Waus and General Lafayette 381 

"At the painful moment of parting from you, we take com- 
fort in the thought, that wherever you may be, to the last pul- 
sation of your heart, our country will ever be present to your 
affections ; and a cheering consolation assures us that we are 
not called to sorrow, most of all, that we shall see your face no 
more. We shall indulge the pleasing anticipation of beholding 
our friend again. In the meantime, speaking in the name of 
the whole people of the United States, and at a loss only for 
language to give utterance to that feeling of attachment with 
which the heart of the nation beats, as beats the heart of one 
man — I bid you a reluctant and affectionate farewell !" 

Lafayette replied with a happy speech, very tender and 
sympathetic. At the close he burst out with this exclamation : 

"God bless you, sir, and all who surround us. God bless 
the American people, each of their States, and the Federal 
Government. Accept this patriotic farewell of an overflowing 
heart. Such will be its last throb when it ceases to beat." 

As the last sentence of farewell was pronounced Lafayette 
advanced and took President Adams in his arms, while tears 
poured down his venerable cheeks. Retiring a few paces, 
he was overcome by his feelings, and again returned, and, fall- 
ing on the neck of Mr. Adams, exclaimed in broken accents, 
"God bless you !" It was a scene at once solemn and moving. 



CHAPTER XLI 
When Diplomats Pay Their Respects 

ONE of the most important duties of a President and his 
wife is that of receiving the accredited Ministers and 
Ambassadors representing foreign nations and rulers. 
Every courtesy is paid to these diplomats from abroad; an 
ambassador being entitled to the courtesies which would be 
paid to the Kings, Queens or Presidents whom they represent. 
They are always present at the great New Year's reception, 
and a special reception is given to the Diplomatic Corps as a 
body, at the White House, once during each winter. 

On the occasions when the diplomats from the whole world 
come to the White House in full dress, we are told that newly 
appointed doorkeepers and attendants get quite bewildered and 
dazed by the magnificent array of uniforms and sometimes 
make amusing mistakes in identifying the different ministers. 
A lady asked one of them the nationality of a certain diplomat 
in superb attire. 

"That, madam, is the Austrian Minister from Australia," 
was the reply. 

Receiving a Newly Arrived Foreign Envoy 

When a new minister comes to Washington he announces 
his arrival to the Secretary of State, who arranges as soon as 
possible for his formal presentation to the President, the minis- 
ter and his suite being always accompanied and introduced by 
the Secretary of State on this occasion. 

As an illustration of the ceremony attending the reception 
of a new foreign diplomat by a President of the United States, 



When Diplomats Pay Their Respects 385 

we may cite the case of the presentation of the new Ambassa- 
dor from Mexico, Sefior Enrique Creel, by President Roose- 
velt, in the last year of Mr. Roosevelt's Administration. In 
the first place, a White House carriage was sent to the Mexican 
Embassy to convey Sefior Creel to the Executive Mansion, 
where President Roosevelt received him in the Blue Parlor. 
An account of the proceeding published at the time states that 
the Ambassador, speaking in Spanish, made a few formal 
remarks. He expressed his feeling of appreciation that he had 
been honored by his government in being made its representa- 
tive to this country and spoke of his high personal regard for 
the people of the United States. 

In reply, President Roosevelt spoke of his gratification to 
welcome the Ambassador and of his regret because of the ill- 
health of his predecessor. The President assured the Ambassa- 
dor of the good-will of this country toward Mexico, and said that 
Sefior Creel would have the co-operation of the United States 
in his mission of bringing the two countries closer together. 

In concluding his remarks the President requested the 
Ambassador to convey to the President of Mexico the wishes of 
the President, expressed for himself as well as for the Govern- 
ment and the people, for his personal well-being and for the 
happiness and good fortune of his country and countrymen. 

One very notable predecessor of Sefior Creel, by the way, 
was Sefior Romero, who for many years represented Mexico 
at our National Capital. Sefior Romero was a man of high 
ability in many spheres. His official life dated back to the 50's, 
and for nearly half a century he knew all the prominent men 
who made history at Washington. Between General Grant 
and Sefior Romero there existed a warm friendship, and the 
Mexican Minister was among the first to go to General Grant's 
aid, when financial trouble overtook him. 

Receiving the First Foreign Minister 

In connection with the reception of foreign diplomats by 
the President of the United States, it is of interest to note the 



386 Inside History oe the White House 

plans made by President George Washington for the elaborate 
ceremony attending the presentation of the first Foreign Minis- 
ter ever sent to this country. The following is the official 
copy of the formalities "to be observed in introducing M. 
Gerard, Minister Plenipotentiary from the Court of France," 
1778: 

"At the time he is to receive his audience, the two members 
of Congress (who are to act as his escort) shall again wait 
upon him in a coach belonging to the States ; and the person 
first named of the two shall return with the Minister Plenipo- 
tentiary or Envoy in the coach, giving the Minister the right 
hand, and placing himself on his left, with the other member on 
the front seat. When the Minister Plenipotentiary or Envoy is 
arrived at the door of the Congress Hall, he shall be introduced 
to his chair by the two members, who shall stand at his left 
hand. Then the member first named shall present and announce 
him to the President and the House ; whereupon he shall bow 
to the President and the Congress, and they to him. He and 
the President shall again bow unto each other, and be seated, 
after which the House shall sit down. Having spoken and 
been answered the Minister and President shall bow to each 
other, at which time the House shall bow, and then he shall be 
conducted home in the manner in which he was brought to the 
House." 

Annual Grand Reception to the Diplomatic Corps 
There are only two occasions, it is recorded, when one can 
see the diplomats in a body, and in their full glory — on New 
Year's Day, and at the annual reception given them by the 
President, when all the Ambassadors and Ministers, attended 
by their respective secretaries, military attaches, etc., appear 
in full court dress. "It is a very splendid and imposing sight" — 
the gorgeous uniforms, the gold lace, the glittering orders and 
decorations with their brilliant ribbons, and the beautiful, pic- 
turesque costumes of the Chinese and Koreans. "The Blue 
Room at the White House looks like a scene on the sta^e ar> 



When Diplomats Pay Their Respects 387 

the corps diplomatique files in, headed by ranking Ambassador, 
each member making a queer little bow to the President and 
Mrs. Roosevelt, all bringing their heels together with a jerk 
and a click as they bend forward and shake hands. The most 
democratic of American citizens is fascinated in spite of him- 
self as his eye takes in the gorgeous mass of color." 

To this information, Waldon Fawcett, a well-known Wash- 
ington correspondent adds that the special reception which the 
President tenders annually to the Diplomatic Corps, brings out 
the showiest court costumes in the wardrobes of the distin- 
guished foreigners. 

Mr. Fawcett then proceeds to describe the brilliant uniforms 
worn by the foreign diplomats at these receptions, with details 
as follows : 

"The representatives of our sister republic, France, are 
provided with far more imposing court-dress than are the 
officials in the diplomatic service of the United States. The 
French Ambassador, who was here in McKinley's time, and all 
the members of his staff who served in Washington during the 
Spanish- American War, were adorned with the superb decora- 
tion of the Order of Isabella, presented by the Queen Regent of 
Spain in acknowledgment of their good offices in effecting 
peace. 

"Dazzling as are the uniforms of the Europeans, and the 
diplomats from South and Central America, however, they were 
outshone in a measure by the elaborate attire of the courtiers 
from the Orient. At the head of this contingent stands Wu 
Ting Fang, the famous Chinese Minister. His favorite gar- 
ment for State ceremonials in a dress of purple silk, trimmed 
with white fur, over which he wears a heavy silken, fur-trimmed 
cloak. His costume represents the acme of magnificence in 
one direction, just as the British Ambassador's coat of scarlet, 
with gold collar, frogs and slashes, does in another. A dis- 
tinguishing characteristic of Minister Wu's costume is an 
immense diamond which he wears in the front of his silk tur- 
ban. The able representative of the Celestial Empire tells 



388 Inside History of the White House 

most humorously of his fright when on one occasion he missed 
the precious stone, only to discover after a terrified search that 
he had reversed his turban in donning it. The members of the 
Chinese Legation are the only servitors of the nations at 
Washington who do not carry the regulation dress-sword." 

Annual Dinner for the Envoys of All Nations 

A dinner is given at least once every season to the repre- 
sentatives of all nations, at the White House. One such din- 
ner given in Cleveland's term, one typical of all such occasions, 
is described in the press of that day : 

"The company was unusually large, even for a dinner to the 
Diplomatic Corps. ' But the occurrence of particular interest 
was the presence of the wife of the Minister of China. It was 
the first time in the history of the Chinese Legation at Wash- 
ington that the wife of a Minister has crossed the threshold of 
the White House. A week ago Mme. Yang Yu called pri- 
vately on Mrs. Cleveland, to whom she was presented by Mrs. 
Gresham. This evening she made her debut, so to speak, in 
official society. To say that her personal appearance and 
bearing were something of a revelation would best express the 
interest and admiration which the fair young celestial excited 
in the other guests. Mme. Yang Yu apparently is not more 
than twenty. She has a tall slender figure, delicate regular 
features, clear, olive complexion, a bright color in her cheeks, 
and large, lustrous dark eyes. Added to this are a grace and 
youthful dignity. Altogether Mrs. Yang Yu is a beautiful 
woman. It is plain that the minister is proud of his young 
wife, and that he enjoyed the admiration she received this 
evening." 

Visit of the First Japanese Embassy 

One of the greatest events of President Buchanan's admin- 
istration, in connection with the diplomatic corps at Washing- 
ton, was the arrival in Washington of the first Japanese 
Embassy and the reception of its members by the Chief Execu- 



When Diplomats Pay Their Respects 391 

five. This occurred in i860, in May, and marked the begin- 
ning of the diplomatic relations between the United States and 
Japan which have since continued on an uninterrupted 
friendly basis. 

The Ambassadors made their headquarters at Willard's 
Hotel, where they remained for thirty days. All the members 
of the Embassy were of very high rank in the realm of the 
Mikado. They numbered in all about sixty, and brought a 
great many presents of value to the President. 

These distinguished Japanese nobles and gentlemen, on the 
day of their presentation to the President, were escorted to 
the White House by soldiers, sailors, marines and police, the 
members of the Embassy riding in carriages provided by Con- 
gress. May 17 was the date of their presentation — which took 
place in the East Room and in the presence of a large assem- 
blage of distinguished officials of the Government. 

In their eagerness to see the strangely garbed Envoys, both 
ladies and gentlemen climbed on tables and chairs. The 
Washington correspondents sent out messages telling of the 
remarkable ceremonies of that day, in which occur these 
statements : 

"At an early hour of the morning several Japanese officials, 
accompanied by one of the Commissioners made their appear- 
ance at the White House, and asked to be put in possession of 
the apartments assigned to them, which was accordingly done, 
and they remained there until the arrival of the Ambassadors 
and suite. When the latter arrived, they were ushered into the 
Blue Room, the subordinate officials into the Red Room, and 
the servants, fifty in number, ranged themselves in the most 
perfect military order. When the folding-doors of the East 
Room opened, the view down the hall was picturesque in the 
extreme. 

"On their first presentation they regarded themselves as 
the immediate representatives of the Tycoon, and approached 
the President in profound silence, bowing three times as they 
advanced, and after pausing a moment retired, with a like 



392 Inside; History oe the White House 

number of bows and passed again into the Blue Room. After 
an interval they again appeared, but this time in the character 
of Ambassadors, bearing with them the autograph letter of 
the Tycoon to the President and advancing again, with three 
bows as before, they presented the letter. 

"When the Ambassadors had finally retired, and the fold- 
ing-doors had been closed, an interesting ceremony took place 
in the ordinary reception-room of the White House, which, at 
the request of the Ambassadors, was made strictly private. 
They had requested to be presented to Miss Lane and the ladies 
of the Cabinet. These ladies were assembled accordingly and 
the Ambassadors were presented to each of them in turn." 

In speaking of the matter, President Buchanan himself 
said: 

"They never speak to me without calling me Emperor and 
his Majesty, and are the most particular people about what they' 
should do. Everything was written down for them, stating 
the course they were to take, the number of bows they were to 
make, and all that, before they left Japan. They can't under- 
stand me at all. You know they were here in front to hear the 
band on Saturday. Well, I went down the steps to speak to 
some of my friends that I saw, and they could not understand 
that at all. To think that I — Emperor of the United States — 
should go down among and shake hands with the people aston- 
ished them wonderfully. Oh no ! they couldn't understand that 
at all, so unlike anything in their country. They take notes of 
everything. They've got down a long description of how I 
looked when they had the reception, and everything they've 
seen — nothing escapes them. They're always sketching and 
taking notes of things. They're very proud, too, I can see; 
they bow very low, but they wont do more than is prescribed 
for them in their instructions." 

Korean and Turkish Diplomats at the White House 

When the Koreans arrived in Washington during President 
Arthur's Administration they created a great sensation, espe- 



When Diplomats Pay Their Respects 393 

daily at evening parties at the White House, where they 
"appeared in tall hats with steeple crowns — like old Mother 
Hubbards — and they stood in line against the wall in the White 
House, like a row of wooden images with perfectly immovable, 
expressionless faces." 

At the diplomatic receptions at the White House the most 
conspicuous Court uniform is sometimes that of the Turkish 
Minister. It is heavily embroidered with gold, and with it the 
Minister wears the national fez. Socially the Turkish Minis- 
ter usually is popular, whoever he may be, and is seen at all the 
smart functions. He entertains after the fashion of a bachelor, 
and his dinners and little suppers have an original flavor that is 
attractive. He has little resemblance to the conventional idea of 
a Turk, but is a cosmopolite of broad education and sympathies. 

A Famous Russian Minister and His American Wife 

One of the most conspicuous figures in diplomatic circles 
in Washington, for many years, was the Russian Minister, 
Monsieur Bodisco. He married a young American girl named 
Harriet Williams, who, as Madame Bodisco, was for twenty- 
five years the leading figure in all social events at the White 
House. At the time of her marriage to the Russian Envoy, 
Madame Bodisco was only sixteen. 

Mrs. Fremont, daughter of Senator Benton, of Missouri, 
an eye-witness of the wedding of the distinguished Russian and 
the young American girl— (the bride lived in Georgetown, 
D. C.) — wrote several descriptions of the ceremony, in one of 
which she says that Monsieur Bodisco "had an eye to theatrical 
effect on all occasions and particularly so On the occasion of his 
wedding." Mrs. Fremont was something more than eye- 
witness at that ceremony ; she was one of the bridesmaids, 
though herself only fourteen years of age at the time. Presi- 
dent Van Buren attended the wedding and gave the bride 
away. The President subsequently gave a dinner at the White 
House in honor of the bride and groom, which dinner is 
described by Mrs. Fremont in lively style, thus : 



394 Inside History oe the White House 

"Here again Bodisco prepared his tableau. He gave us 
our directions, and our little procession crossed that windy hall 
into the drawing-room. Mr. Van Buren had it, later, some- 
what protected by the glass screens that now extend across, 
but many a cold was taken there after wraps were laid aside. 

"We were grouped either side of the bride, our bright 
white dresses serving as margin and setting to the central 
figure. This night her dress was of pale green velvet, its long 
train having a border of embroidery in gold thread not brighter 
than her yellow hair, and pearls and emeralds were her 
ornaments. 

"Mr. Van Buren brought over from London a fine chef, 
and his dinners were as good and delicate as possible ; but his 
was a formal household — none of the large hospitality of Gen- 
eral Jackson, who held it as 'the People's House', and himself 
as their steward ; and still less of the 'open-house' of the Tyler ■ 
regime, where there were many young people who kept to 
their informal cheery Virginia ways. 

"Mr. Van Buren had great tact and knew how to make 
each person show to advantage. He was also very witty, 
though he controlled this, knowing its danger to a man in pub- 
lic life." 

In President Buchanan's Administration, Madame Bodisco, 
being now a widow, married a British Army Captain, Presi- 
dent Buchanan being present at the ceremony, as described in 
the chapter on "Brides of the White House." 



CHAPTER XLH 
Sunday and the Bible at the White House 

SUNDAY at the White House has from the beginning 
always been observed not only as a day of rest, but also 
as a day on which the Presidents, as the representatives 
of the active Christians of America, permitted nothing to come 
to pass within the walls of the mansion that was not thoroughly 
consistent with the most rigid decorum. Washington always 
attended divine service on Sunday, and John Adams walked 
to church rain or shine. 

The Bible, too, has always been much in evidence at the 
White House on Sundays in particular. The singing of hymns, 
too, and the expression of beliefs embracing the divinity of 
Christ and a recognition of Christianity as the mightiest factor 
in the world's civilization, have characterized the record of 
the day's simple events at the President's official home in 
Washington. 

How Mr. Roosevelt Spends His Sundays 

President Roosevelt attends church regularly every Sun- 
day morning, whether at the White House or at his home at 
Oyster Bay. The rest of the day he spends in those pursuits 
permitted to a robust and active man, pursuits that are wholly 
consistent, however, with the approved practices of the most 
conservative of Christ's followers anywhere in the land. As 
to the details of the manner in which President Roosevelt 
spends Sunday, we gain the following information from the 
press reports of the day : 

"Sunday is President Roosevelt's day of rest, although 



396 Inside History of the White House 

many people who have been invited to help him in taking his 
rest are inclined to think his rest and recreation are what would 
generally be called hard work or violent exercise. Walking 
and riding are his ways for passing the hours when most other 
Americans are lolling about. Sunday morning it is walk to 
church and back again. Sunday afternoon the lure of the 
woods and green fields is too much to be resisted. If the day 
be wet and stormy a long walk over the hills in Virginia is the 
most pleasing form of diversion and rest. If the day be pleas- 
ant a ride through Rock Creek Park, often in company with 
Senator Lodge, Secretary Root and Postmaster-General Meyer, 
or only one of them, is the form of the exercise. 

"He is not a Sabbatarian in the New England sense of the 
word, nor does he hold to the Continental notion that games 
on Sunday are all right for the general public, but conceivably 
any sort of amusement may be all right for persons who by' 
reason of their occupation may be denied the enjoyment of the 
ordinary forms of amusements at ordinary times." 

President McKinley Spent the Day With His Wife 

There was something very cheerful and whole-souled about 
President McKinley's Christianity. He seemed to carry it 
with him all the time, and he used it on every possible occa- 
sion. He did not keep it stored away for use on Sunday when 
he attended church, but scattered it broadcast during his busy 
week days at the White House. No visitor could talk with him 
for any length of time and not perceive him to be an earnest, 
active Christian, for he showed it continually in his conversa- 
tion and in his life. 

The pastor at the Metropolitan M. E. Church in Washing- 
ton knew that when the President was not in his pew on Sun- 
day morning something very extraordinary had occurred to 
demand his presence at the White House. On a few occa- 
sions during the war with Spain, when startling news arrived 
on Sunday from the front, the Cabinet was assembled, but this 
was a rare occurrence and the President was usually permitted 



Sunday and the Bible at the White House 397 

to make his Sunday a day of absolute rest, and to devote its 
hours to worship and spiritual exercises. 

Mr. McKinley was a very early riser. On Sunday morn- 
ing, breakfast table at the White House was a pleasant sight. 
■The President himself asked the blessing on the morning meal. 
Then he and Mrs. McKinley counseled with one another until 
his time to leave for church. A Cabinet officer or secretary 
might drop in for a moment, but his business had to be very 
important indeed to have the President consider it on a Sunday, 
even for an instant. No mail was opened at the White House 
on this morning, unless its contents were known to be 
important. 

Sunday was his own particular home day. He and Mrs. 
McKinley spent it together, and it was indeed a day of rest 
to them. Before dinner was served they usually stepped out 
into the White House garden and there found delight in 
each other's company. Sunday visitors were rare and the 
family usually sat down alone to this most pleasant meal of 
all the week. 

President McKinley Fond of Singing Hymns 

Mr. McKinley, more than any other President, showed a 
fondness for singing hymns. "On Sabbath evenings during his 
administration," says a White House employe, "there would 
often be gatherings of a few friends in the Blue Parlor after 
dinner, and hymn books would be brought out and then all 
would join in singing hymns, accompanied by the piano. Fre- 
quently when the President returned from church on the Sab- 
bath he would hum the tune of a hymn as I was taking him up 
in the elevator." 

Lincoln Listens Spellbound to a Hymn 

Shortly before his death, President Lincoln received, at the 
White House, some 500 members of that very Christian Com- 
mission, some of whose officers were the first to reach the 
wounded President's side after he was shot at Ford's Theatre 



398 Inside; History of the White House 

by J. Wilkes Booth. The Christian Commission had been very 
active in rendering aid to the soldiers during the Civil War, 
and Mr. Lincoln, on the day in question, January 27, 1865, had 
invited the members to the White House to thank them for 
their services. A description of the impressive meeting is 
described by Mrs. Mary Coffin Johnson, thus : 

"There was about Lincoln, as I first saw him standing bare- 
headed in an open barouche, a commanding dignity that made 
itself felt in spite of his tall, unattractive figure, unpolished 
appearance and simplicity of manner. That was in front of 
my door in Cincinnati, a little before the war. 

"It was three years later that I again saw the President in 
Washington, and I was struck by the change in his appearance 
and his sad, care-worn face. 

"Once again I saw him, and this was only two months 
before his tragic death. It was at a great meeting of the 
United States Christian Commission in the White House, with 
many distinguished people present, diplomats, army and navy 
men — Schuyler Colfax, I remember, J. G. Blaine and Vice- 
Admiral Farragut. 

"The President came in very quietly with his secretary, a 
member of the Cabinet, and followed by two officers. The com- 
mission rose to its feet as he entered, but he slipped into a 
seat not far from where I was sitting, like a plain man, as he 
always said he was, and would not go on the platform. Chap- 
lain McCabe — later Bishop McCabe — and A. D. Richardson, 
who had just reached home after their escape from Libby 
Prison, mere skeletons and so weak they could hardly stand, 
told of their experiences. The President listened with close 
attention, drawing his sleeve over his eyes — he never seemed 
to have a handkerchief — to wipe away the tears. When thanks 
were given to the commission for the work it had done among 
the soldiers the President led it, clapping and stamping with 
both feet. 

"Later, Philip Phillips, a well-known song and hymn writer, 
who was one of our party, went forward, and, sitting down to 



Sunday and the Bible at the White House 399 

a little organ, sang a new song that had just come out. The 
President listened spellbound, and when it was finished he sent 
a note up to Mr. Seward, who was presiding. He wrote : 

"Near the close of your meeting you might have that song 
repeated by Mr. Phillips, but don't say that I called for it. 

'Lincoln/ " 

The Great Liberator Quotes the Bible 

That Lincoln knew the Bible well, and quoted from the 
Great Book off-hand, is shown in an unusually interesting story 
told by Doorkeeper Pendel, in his book on his experiences in 
the White House, thus : 

"One day a man with a very swarthy complexion came in 
wearing a silk hat and a Prince Albert coat. You would have 
taken him at first glance for a minister of the Gospel. He 
commenced finding fault with Mr. Stanton, the great War 
Secretary, accusing him of not carrying out the order that 
President Lincoln had given two weeks before to have a cer- 
tain man liberated from prison who had been sentenced to 
death, but was pardoned. 

"Mr. Lincoln listened patiently to his complaint, and then 
said, emphatically, 'If it had not been for me, that man would 
now be in his grave. Now, sir, you claim to be a philanthropist. 
If you will get your Bible and turn to the thirtieth chapter of 
Proverbs, the tenth verse, you will read these words : 'Accuse 
not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be 
found guilty'. Whereupon the man got angry and went away. 
But as he went out, he said : 'There is no such passage in the 
Bible'. 'Oh, yes', said Mr. Lincoln, 'I think you will find it 
in the thirtieth chapter of Proverbs, and at the tenth verse'. 
This was late in the afternoon, and I thought no more of the 
occurrence. 

"Next morning I was at Mr. Lincoln's office door as usual, 
about eight o'clock, and heard some one calling out: 'Oh, 
Pendleton ! I say, Pendleton, come in here'. When I went inside 
Mr. Lincoln said to me, 'Wait a moment'. He stepped quickly 



400 Inside History of the White House 

into the private part of the house, through what is the Cabinet 
Room, but which was then used as a waiting room, and soon 
reappeared with his Bible in his hand. He then sat down and 
read to me that identical passage he had quoted to the philan- 
thropist, and sure enough it was found to be in the thirtieth 
chapter of Proverbs, and at the tenth verse. 

"In those days I was not much of a Bible reader. But in 
1865 I decided that all-important question whether or not I 
should be a follower of the Lord Jesus. I commenced reading 
a little old Bible that I had bought at a second-hand store, and 
which had belonged to an old soldier. After this I always kept 
it with me at the White House, and would occupy my odd 
hours in reading from it. One day I came across the same 
passage which Mr. Lincoln had quoted to the angry philan- 
thropist. The whole occurrence came back to me, and I 
thought what a just man was the President. He was not even 
willing for me to be in doubt as to his correct quotation of a 
Bible passage, but must needs take his precious time to prove 
himself right in my eyes. How simple-hearted, yet how truly 
great a man he was." 

Grant Talks on the Bible 

General Grant, while President of the United States, gave 
out a message to the children of America in which he said : 

"Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet-anchor of your liber- 
ties ; write its precepts in your hearts, and practice them in your 
lives. To the influence of this Book are we indebted for all 
the progress made in true civilization, and to this we must 
look as our guide in the future." 

How Grant Regretted Sunday Battles 

General Horace Porter, once Private Secretary to President 
Grant, in his reminiscences, tells of Grant's views regarding the 
keeping of the Seventh Day, thus : 

"General Grant rarely spoke of his religious convictions, but 
had a deep regard for the Christian religion and its institutions. 



Sunday and the; Bible at the; White House 401 

He was a regular attendant upon the Methodist Episcopal 
Church at home, and a liberal supporter of the enterprises of all 
denominations. He expressed regret that so many of the 
decisive passages in the war must be fought out on Sunday, 
and tried to avoid this. Nothing was more offensive to him 
than an attempt to make light of serious matters or to show a 
disrespect for sacred things." 

Cleveland's View of the Bible 

About the last thing that fell from the pen of the late 
Grover Cleveland was an estimate of the Bible. He said : "I 
very much hope that in sending out this book you will do some- 
thing to invite more attention among the masses of our people 
to the study of the New Testament and Bible as a whole. It 
seems to me that in these days there is an unhappy falling off 
in our appreciation of the importance of this study. I do not 
believe, as a people, that we can afford to allow our interest 
in and veneration for the Bible to abate. I look upon it as the 
source from which those who study it in spirit and in truth will 
derive strength of character, a realization of the duty of citizen- 
ship and a true apprehension of the power and wisdom and 
mercy of God." 

Cleveland on Christian Citizenship 
In one of his addresses, President Cleveland expressed his 
views of the duties of Christian citizenship as follows : 

"The citizen is a better business man if he is a Christian gen- 
tleman, and surely business is not the less prosperous and suc- 
cessful if conducted on Christian principles. 

"A wholesome religious faith thus inures to the perpetuity, 
the safety and the prosperity of our Republic, by exacting the 
due observance of civil law, the preservation of public order, 
and a proper regard for the rights of all; and thus are its 
adherents better fitted for good citizenship and confirmed in a 
sure and steadfast patriotism. It seems to me, too, that the 
conception of duty to the State which is derived from religious 



402 Inside History of the White House 

precept involves a sense of personal responsibility, which is of 
the greatest value in the operation of the government by the 
people. It will be a fortunate day for our country when every 
citizen feels that he has an ever present duty to perform to the 
State which he cannot escape from or neglect without being 
false to his religious as well as to his civil allegiance." 



CHAPTER XLIII 
Church-going of the Presidents 

ALL the Presidents, as well as all the members of their 
families, have been most punctilious in the matter of 
church-going. George Washington was a zealous mem- 
ber of the Protestant Episcopal Church and rarely ever missed 
divine service. Regardless of where he was stationed, Wash- 
ington went to whatsoever sort of church the place afforded, 
and listened with attention to the preacher no matter what doc- 
trines or beliefs that preacher expressed. 

The religion of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and 
Andrew Jackson and, in fact, of all the earlier Presidents, was 
that of the Golden Rule. They all lived as they would have 
others live, though none believed that a discussion of theology 
should be brought into the conversation when many persons of 
various beliefs were present in the drawing-room at the White 
House. 

President Van Buren's church-going is described in an 
account written by an English traveler, James Buckingham, a 
member of Parliament, who visited the White House and was 
entertained by Van Buren over Sunday: 

"President Van Buren walked into the church unattended 
by a single servant, took his place in a pew in which others 
were sitting besides himself, and retired in the same manner 
as he came, without being noticed in any other degree than 
any other member of the congregation, and walking home 
alone, until joined by one or two personal friends, like any 
other private gentleman. In taking exercise he usually rides 
out on horse-back, and is generally unattended." 



404 Inside History of the White House 

Mrs. Franklin Pierce, it has been written, although an 
invalid, bore up bravely under the fatigues of her position. 
She was very pious, and her scruples in regard to keeping the 
Sabbath, had an influence upon public life. "Each Sunday 
morning," we are told, by her historian, "of her four years' stay 
in the White House, she would request, in her gentle, concilia- 
tory way all the attaches of the mansion to go to church." 

The White House Churches 

More than one-half of the number of Presidents have 
attended the same church in Washington. Madison was the 
first President to worship in this quaint, little edifice, and the 
latest tenant of the White House frequently seen in the "Presi- 
dent's pew" is Mrs. Roosevelt. It is St. John's Episcopal 
Church, situated opposite the White House, on Lafayette 
Square. A well-known Washington correspondent, Waldon 
Fawcett, says that this place of worship is known at the National 
Capital as the "Court Church" because of the large number 
of Presidents, diplomats and public officials who have been 
included from time to time in its congregation. 

This White House Church is now over a hundred years old, 
and is one of the historic church edifices of the country and is 
fraught with interesting associations. So many Chief Magis- 
trates have regularly worshiped there, Mr. Fawcett relates, 
that for many years a pew has been set aside for the President 
of the United States. The pew, because of the limited seating 
capacity of the building, has been occupied for some time past 
by Secretary Hitchcock of the Interior Department, who sur- 
rendered it to the wife of President Roosevelt upon her arrival 
in Washington. 

In this church fourteen Presidents of the United States 
have worshiped, including every Chief Executive from Madi- 
son to Lincoln. The building is simple, old-fashioned and 
unpretentious in the extreme. It was erected in 1816, and was 
designed by Benjamin Latrobe, architect of the United States 
Capitol. The church is in the form of a Latin cross, and is 



Chukch-going of the Presidents 405 

well-nigh hidden in many places by a profusion of Virginia 
creeper and English ivy. The original design of the build- 
ing was in the form of a Grecian cross, but in 1820 it was given 
its present contour by the addition of a portico, supported by 
six columns. Save for interior furnishings, the edifice has 
changed little in appearance in three quarters of a century. 
The pews are small and covered with red damask, while the 
altar, with its cross of gold, manifests similar simplicity. 

Immediately after the completion of the church, and before 
any pews had been sold, a committee from the vestry called 
upon President Madison, and offered him a pew, which he 
accepted, and thereafter occupied quite regularly. Although 
all the men who presided over the destinies of the nation, from 
the time St. John's Church was completed until after the Civil 
War, were more or less regular attendants at services at the 
little house of worship opposite the Executive Mansion, not all 
of them were regular members of the congregation. Enrolled 
among the latter, however, are the names of James Madison, 
James Monroe, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, 
John Tyler and Zachary Taylor. Two memorial windows in 
the church perpetuate the record of this membership. 

Mrs. Letitia Tyler, first wife of President Tyler, was a 
communicant of the Episcopal Church, and when she died the 
rector of St. John's Church, Dr. Hawley, preached the funeral 
sermon at the Presidential mansion. The funeral of the famous 
Dolly Madison, widow of President Madison, was held at St. 
John's Church, a stone's throw from the house in which 
she died. 

Of the later Presidents, Arthur was the most regular 
attendant at the "Court Church," although most of the other 
Chief Magistrates of the past third of a century have gone 
there on special occasions. The late President McKinley once 
told the rector that it was his custom, when in the White 
House, to wheel his chair into a position from which he could 
see the spire of old St. John's, and that the sight invariably 
soothed and comforted him. One of the last occasions upon 



406 Inside History oe the White House 

which President McKinley attended services at St. John's, was 
at the time of the memorial service in honor of the late Queen 
Victoria. 

Another Washington Church that has for years had a 
prominent place in the religious life of Presidents and their 
families is All Souls. Among its founders was John Quincy 
Adams, then President of the Nation. Although no Presi- 
dents have since attended there, it has had among its members 
many men of National prominence. John C. Calhoun and 
William Cranch were among its early attendants. 

Among its pastors have been Rev. Jared Sparks, Dr. 
Orville Dewey, Rev. Samuel Longfellow and Rev. Edward 
Everett Hale, present Chaplain of the Senate. The present 
pastor, Rev. U. G. B. Pierce, is believed to be a worthy suc- 
cessor of these godly men. 

One feature of the church makes it specially fitting, it is 
said, as a President's church. The bell in its tower was cast 
by Paul Revere, one of the men closely identified with the 
establishment of American liberty. It has sounded on great 
public occasions since 1822, tolling for Lincoln, Garfield and 
McKinley. 

President Roosevelt at Various Churches 

President Roosevelt attends various churches of different 
denominations — Methodist, Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed — 
according to where he happens to be, although he has long 
been a member of the Dutch Reform Church. That he is also 
a friend of the Episcopal Church, is shown in the fact that he 
recently presented the old parish church at Williamsburg, Vir- 
ginia, with a beautiful lectern— in commemoration of the three 
hundredth anniversary of the permanent establishment of 
English civilization in America. At Oyster Bay it has been 
the custom of the President to attend at various times all of 
trie churches in town, and he has been their patron for many 
years. Mrs. Roosevelt is a communicant of the Episcopal 
Church. Mr. Roosevelt was the first to contribute in assisting 




THE HISTORICALLY FAMOUS EAST ROOM 




THE MAIN HALL OF THE WHITE HOUSE 



Church-going op the; Presidents 409 

certain other church property at Oyster Bay, and he has given 
liberal aid to the colored church also. 

How President McKinley Worshiped 

• Every Sunday, promptly at fifteen minutes to eleven the 
black horses and carriage were at the White House door ready, 
to take President McKinley to church ; promptly at ten minutes 
to eleven the President stepped into the vehicle. His wife was 
unfortunately very much of an invalid, consequently he fre- 
quently went alone to church, unless one of the Cabinet mem- 
bers accompanied him. Details set forth in The Rulers of the 
World at Home, include these further facts : 

Just as the minister was about to announce the opening 
hymn, the President walked down the aisle of the Metropolitan 
Church and took his seat in the fourth pew from the front. 
There was no noise about it, no whispering among the congre- 
gation, and no attention was paid to his entrance. He quietly 
seated himself and bowed his head in prayer. When the hymn 
was started, the President sang heartily, and from that time 
forward his heart was in the service. He sang every hymn, 
read the Psalms, and listened intently to the sermon. 

He was one of the most modest of men, however, and would 
be greatly embarrassed to have the attention of the congrega- 
tion directed towards him. It was his desire to worship in 
Washington as he did in Canton, Ohio — just as a private citi- 
zen. "I would rather attend some tiny mission, down among 
the wharves, and be allowed to worship as I wish," he once said, 
"than come to this large church and be continually conscious of 
my position. I want to lay aside my position on Sundays, 
anyway." ■ 

When the offering was taken and the ushers passed the 
plate, the President enclosed his gift in an envelope and dropped 
it in with the others. When service was over, and the doxol- 
ogy sung, the nearby portion of the congregation remained 
seated a moment while the President rose and passed out. That 
seemed to be the only way in which he could escape many who 



4io Inside; History of the White House 

wished to shake his hand. Before the rest of the congregation 
was out of the church, he was whirling away to the White 
House, happy and contented, because for one hour he had been 
permitted to be just a simple worshiper. 

One Sunday morning, drawn by curiosity, a visitor in 
Washington went to the church where Mr. McKinley was 
accustomed to worship. It was Communion Sunday morning, 
and the visitor described his impressions thus : "I watched the 
President. I watched his face while he sang. I gave close 
attention to his countenance and attitude during all the open- 
ing service, and his interest in the earnest words which were 
spoken before the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was admin- 
istered. And after awhile, when William McKinley got up 
from his place, and went and knelt down at the altar, humbly, 
with the rest, and reverently took the Communion, and when he 
arose I saw him quietly wipe away the traces of emotion from 
his eyes, his whole countenance and attitude showing the deep- 
est religious emotion, I confess to you that I felt a great change 
coming over myself, and I said to myself, 'A country which 
has a man like that at the head of affairs is not so badly 
off after all'." 

Four Presidents as Church Members 

President Garfield was the only Campbellite among our 
Presidents. At the age of nineteen he joined the Campbellite 
Church and became active in all religious movements of his 
denomination. 

President Arthur "generally attended the church right 
across from the White House, St. John's Episcopal Church. 
Often in good weather he would walk over and walk back; if 
it were disagreeable, he would have the carriage ordered and 
go over in that." 

President Benjamin Harrison, like his grandfather, Presi- 
dent William Henry Harrison, was a member of the Presby- 
terian Church. When he died, his funeral service was held at 
his home church in his home town, Indianapolis, March 16, 



Church-going of the; Presidents 411 

1901. And at that altar, where the remains of General Harri- 
son were now confined in a narrow box, he years knelt hand 
in hand with the bride of his youth, and there plighted his troth. 
For forty years prior to his death he was a trustee of that 
little Presbyterian Church. 

President Cleveland's father was a Presbyterian minis- 
ter. When the son was elected President, the Rev. Dr. 
Sunderland, of the First Presbyterian Church in Washington, 
determined to make every effort to induce Mr. Cleveland to 
attend his church. Immediately after the inauguration Dr. 
Sunderland called upon the President, and the latter agreed 
to be enrolled among his parishioners. Cleveland was very 
regular in attendance. Always a large crowd assembled in 
front of the church to see him entering and leaving. "The 
crowd," the newspapers tell us, "was amazed to find that when 
the carriage stopped Cleveland would leave the vehicle and 
start for the door, while some one else would have to assist 
Mrs. Cleveland to alight. Then she would hasten after her 
husband, and, catching up with him, the two would walk up 
the aisle together to their pew." 

How Lincoln Blessed the Churches 

President Lincoln was a Presbyterian, but he from time to 
time attended churches of other denominations and was heartily 
in sympathy with the work of all of them. When Charles 
Wagner, author of The Simple Life, visited Washington and 
was a guest of President Roosevelt at the White House, 
he went to the Presbyterian Church that Lincoln attended, and 
later described his experience as follows : 

"Dr. Radclyffe, pastor of the church that Lincoln used to 
attend, was to take me for a drive and some sight-seeing about 
Washington. When he showed me the interior of his church, 
I noticed that its furnishings had just been renewed. The 
seats were almost aggressively fresh save one old one remain- 
ing among them, that seemed, in its more sombre color, to 
stand out from the rest ; it was the seat of Lincoln." 



412 Inside History oe the White House 

The late Dr. T. DeWitt Talmage has this to say of Lin- 
coln's attitude toward the churches : 

"On my desk, as I make this paragraph, is a letter pre- 
sented to me by a friend. It is a letter that Lincoln wrote on 
May 18, 1864. It was written before the days of typewriting, 
and is in Mr. Lincoln's own penmanship. The Methodist Con- 
ference assembled in Baltimore had passed a resolution of 
encouragement and sent it to Mr. Lincoln, and this is his reply : 

" 'Gentlemen: In response to your address allow me to 
attest the accuracy of its historical statements: indorse the 
sentiment it expresses ; and thank you in the nation's name for 
the sure promise it gives. Nobly sustained as the Govern- 
ment has been by all the churches, I would utter nothing which 
might in the least appear invidious against any. Yet without 
this it may fairly be said that the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
not less devoted than the rest, is, by its greater numbers, the 
most important of all. It is no fault in others that the Method- 
ist Church sends more soldiers to the field, more nurses to 
the hospital, and more prayers to heaven than any. God bless 
the Methodist Church — bless all the churches, and blessed be 
God, who, in this our great trial, giveth us the churches'. 

"There is in the chirography of this letter a calmness, a 
confidence and a clearness which give no suggestion of the hor- 
rors through which the country was then passing. Every 
comma, semicolon and period is in the right place. Abraham 
Lincoln was a Presbyterian, yet in this letter he especially 
compliments another denomination, and asks for the divine 
blessing on all the denominations." 



CHAPTER XLIV 
Charities of the White House Tenants 

CHARITY, as well as piety, has been a marked character- 
istic of every "First Gentlemen" and every "First Lady" 
in the White House. In respect to helping others, each 
President might justly be called a Lord Bountiful, while each 
lady became in fact known as Lady Bountiful. 

President Washington always gave bountifully to the poor 
and all his gifts were voluntary, for he prided himself on doing 
his work for the needy ahead of solicitation. Both John Adams 
and John Quincy Adams were thrifty in the extreme, yet both 
gave intelligently, if not liberally, to those in distress. Mrs. 
Dolly Madison, though so fond of social festivities, set apart 
certain mornings for visits to the poor, and continued the cus- 
tom even after she left the White House. 

Whenever Mrs. Grant heard of any one in distress, she not 
only helped such person with gifts of money and material neces- 
sities, but often she insisted that the distressed man or woman 
or child be brought to the White House in order that she 
might personally learn the person's needs. Mrs. Garfield pos- 
sessed the same kindly traits and was ever ready and eager 
to succor the needy. 

Every day throughout the year President Roosevelt and 
Mrs. Roosevelt receive more requests for charity than they 
can possibly grant. The requests for aid that reach the 
White House to-day are so numerous and so great in the 
aggregate amount asked for, that if Mr. Roosevelt complied 
with all requests his year's salary would be consumed in 
one month. 



414 Inside History oe the White House 

Yet the busy President Roosevelt finds time and finds it pos- 
sible to grant many reasonable requests. For instance, here is 
a story of how Mr. Roosevelt contributed his mite to the chari- 
ties of London : 

At one of the great bazaars held at Albert Hall, Mrs. Henry 
Siegel donated the most remarkable autograph-book ever 
offered for public sale. On the first page was the autograph of 
Queen Alexandra. On the second page was the autograph of 
President Roosevelt. To get that autograph Mrs. Siegel sent 
a very long cable message to the President, explaining the 
whole situation. The answer came back: "With pleasure I 
send my autograph. But reading your cable delayed the 
affairs of State fully twenty minutes." 

How Mr. Roosevelt Helped the Chinese Famine Sufferers 

In the midst of his multitudinous duties, Mr. Roosevelt has 
found time, too, to consider the sufferings of people in foreign 
lands, and to contribute to their relief through The Christian 
Herald Famine Fund. A press despatch which appeared at 
the time of the last great famine in China gave the follow- 
ing facts : 

President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Root have each 
contributed $100 to the Chinese Famine Fund. This fact was 
brought out in a letter from Secretary Root to Dr. Louis 
Klopsch, of The Christian Herald, which paper has taken a 
most active part in raising funds for the famine sufferers in 
China, as well as in previous undertakings of the kind. Sec- 
retary Root's letter says : 

" 'The President has asked me to say to you that he is much 
interested in your work to raise funds for the benefit of the 
sufferers by the present dreadful famine in China. He hopes 
you will meet with the same success that you have had in 
similar appeals to the humanity and liberality of our people. 
As a contribution to the fund he has handed me his check for 
one hundred dollars, which I enclose, together with a similar 
check of my own'." 



Charities of the White House Tenants 415 

Hayes and Cleveland Performed Kindly Services 
Even after leaving the White House many Presidents have 
performed many kindly acts that made them still more beloved 
by the people. Hayes and Cleveland were particularly note- 
worthy in this respect. President Hayes, for example, after 
refusing to allow his name to be mentioned for a second term, 
retired in 1881 to private life. He did splendid work in later 
years along lines of charity, of prison reform. 

"During President Hayes' administration," says the White 
House Doorkeeper, Mr. Pendel, "there was a newspaper man 
who used to slash into him right and left, through the paper 
with which he was connected, in the most abusive way. The 
President did not know who it was at the time, but after he 
left the White House there was a commission appointed to go 
and visit the different prisons throughout the United States. I 
think Mr. Hayes was the president of this commission. He 
visited quite a number of prisons, and sometimes would talk 
with the prisoners. One day, while visiting some prison, I do 
not know where, he got into conversation with a man, a pris- 
oner, who recognized ex-President Hayes, and there he told the 
ex-President, 'I am the man, sir, who abused you so fearfully 
in the newspaper, and, General Hayes, I want to ask your 
pardon and forgiveness, for I did you a great wrong'. What 
he had been sent to the penitentiary for, I cannot say. The 
President said to him, 'Do you ever have an opportunity to do 
any writing in the prison here ? If you do, send it to me, and 
I will have it published in some magazine, and I will send the 
proceeds to your wife and children to help support them while 
you are in prison'. The man was taken aback at the ex-Presi- 
dent's kindness to him, and I think afterwards Mr. Hayes suc- 
ceeded in having this man pardoned." 

President Cleveland, after leaving the White House, went 
to Princeton, New Jersey, to live, and there in an unostenta- 
tious way, aided many of the poor people, not only with advice, 
but with cash. One of his friends once said that if a list of 
his charities were made public it would be a surprise. One of 



416 Inside History of the White House 

his proteges, was Edward Vroom, a farmer. "Vroom was 
poor, not a man of affairs, but visionary. Mismanagement of 
his little farm of sixty acres resulted in heavy mortgages and a 
threat of foreclosure. Mr. Cleveland heard of his trials. He 
bought the farm, lifted the mortage, and gave Vroom another 
start in life." 

Mrs. McKinley*s Kindly Activities as "First Lady" 

A Washington lady who knew Mrs. McKinley intimately, 
supplies the following facts relating to the kindly acts and 
Christian practices of one who was at the time of "First Lady" 
of the land. 

One of Mrs. McKinley 's most pleasing characteristics, was 
her perfect sincerity and thoughtfulness for others. No day 
passed in which she did not do some good for some one. Her 
friends, who ran in to pay her a morning call, or to have tea 
with her in the afternoon, were frequently compelled to with- 
hold information of the afflictions of others from their sensitive 
hostess, because of the latter's liability to worry and thus 
imperil her own very delicate health. Mrs. McKinley, how- 
ever, never complained of her own health, even to the ladies 
who were admitted to the inner chambers of the Executive 
Mansion. Mrs. McKinley with her own hands, earned con- 
siderable sums of money, or its equivalent, for charitable or 
benevolent purposes. She knitted three thousand five hun- 
dred pairs of woolen slippers for invalids and institutions or 
charities. 

"Think of the time and patience required to make so many 
pairs of slippers," said the friend who told of the incident. 
"Well, she is always knitting, or embroidering, or doing some- 
thing that will be of use to others." 

Mrs. McKinley's thoughtfulness for others was very 
marked. She was most solicitous concerning the welfare of all 
who were around her and whom she met as the hostess of the 
White House. When sorrow came or affliction of any kind, 
she never failed to send flowers, and kind, cheering messages 



Charities oe the White House Tenants 417 

to the suffering ones. She was especially interested in her 
friends' children. The loss of her own children was to her a 
source of great grief. She liked to have the little ones come to 
see her at the White House, and then she chatted lovingly of 
"what might have been, if her own children had lived. 

In the Ladies' Aid Society of the Metropolitan Church, she 
was always one of the most interested helpers. Each Sunday 
she sent to the church altar flowers from the White House 
greenhouses, which she had personally picked, and she always 
had them sent to some poor invalid, to brighten a sick-room, 
after church service was over. The finest blooms in her con- 
servatories she culled and sent to the sick and the hospitals, 
sending with them some appetizing dainty from her own 
kitchen. Every day brought her notes from the thankful and 
delighted receivers of those pleasing attentions. She told the 
wife of a Senator that she had knitted with her own fingers 
3,000 yarn slippers, every pair of which had been given out- 
right to the poor. She gave from her own personal purse, 
times without number, to a multitude of good causes. When- 
ever any charitable fund was started in Washington, the pro- 
moters reckoned upon her as an unfailing contributor. 

Always at the head of every movement for the advancement 
of religious work, she often led the work in person. She was 
all that a Christian wife and mother should be, and com- 
manded the respect, almost the worship, of the other members 
of the congregation of the Metropolitan M. E. Church. When 
ill-health and all its self-denial came along, she sorrowfully 
gave up her work to a certain extent. The doctors said she 
must have absolute rest and quiet, and Mrs. McKinley reluc- 
tantly obeyed their commands. But very often, as she lay in 
bed at home, her mind was busy with new plans for helping 
her beloved church, or some new way to aid the poor of the 
town. 

Very much has been said and written of Mrs. McKinley, 
yet the half of her gentleness and beauty of character has never 
been told. A personal friend of Mrs. McKinley, Mrs. John A. 



418 Inside History of the White House 

Logan, described the gracious lady of the White House, and 
her charities, thus : 

"Mrs. McKinley's greatest charm was her perfect sincerity 
and thoughtfulness for others. No day passed over her head 
without her doing something for some one. 

"If she hears of an affliction of any kind overtaking any 
one — no matter how much a stranger — she will immediately 
order something sent to that person, if nothing more than a 
bunch of flowers or a cheering message ; in some way she con- 
veys her sympathy and good wishes. Her friends endeavor to 
keep from her knowledge many instances of illness or sorrow, 
because she immediately makes a personal matter of them, 
and is untiring in her interest until all is well again. 

"No one ever heard her utter a complaint about her own ill- 
health. She is always bright and cheerful, never in any way 
alluding to herself, or to the affliction that has held her captive 
for more than twenty years. Her refined face, sweet smile and 
tender expression, reflect the spirit of resignation and the love- 
liness which suffering has wrought. She is interested in every- 
thing, with the enthusiasm of the most vigorous women. 

"Her busy fingers have wrought much for charity. Some 
time ago she finished more than three thousand five hundred 
pairs of knitted slippers for ladies and children, all of which 
have been given to friends and to charity for invalids. Many 
of these slippers have been sold for large sums at church and 
charity fairs. 

"It does not require an expert to figure that by her own 
hands Mrs. McKinley has earned a considerable sum for 
benevolent purposes. Her example of continuous employment 
demonstrates that occupation is the -surest defense against 
ennui and depression of spirits and morbidness from enforced 
confinement, most of the time within doors." 

Mrs. Hayes Helped the Destitute 

A tribute is paid to Mrs. Hayes by one of the employes of 
the White House, Doorkeeper Pendel, who tells of her char- 



Charities oe the White House Tenants 419 

ities and of her kindness to White House employes as follows, 
in his Thirty-Six Years in the White House: 

"Mrs. Hayes was a grand lady, and the White House will 
never have one to surpass her. After they got settled down 
and the crowds had left the city, I then had a better opportunity 
of finding out the character of both of them. And the character 
of both was beautiful ! As she would be going out to break- 
fast through the upper corridor of a morning how often have I 
heard her singing a beautiful hymn. How kind-hearted she 
was. Always had a kind word to say to the humblest employe 
at the White House. Notes would come to the White House 
time after time from the destitute and poor wanting help. She 
would have me come upstairs and see her, and would say, 'Mr. 
Pendel, here is some money, and here is a note. Take this, and 
find out where they live, and give it to them'. On one occa- 
sion, out on Massachusetts Avenue, there was a young girl, 
about twenty-two years of age, down with consumption, and 
Mrs. Hayes said to me, 'Mr. Pendel, I want you to take these 
oranges up to that young lady and give them to her'. The 
doorkeepers at the White House fared well, for hardly an 
evening passed but we were told to go into the parlor, and take 
the magnificent bouquet that was standing there." 

President Arthur's Family Helped Children 

President Arthur, being a widower, brought his sister to 
the White House to preside as "First Lady." She was a 
widow, Mrs. McElroy, and with her came her two daughters, 
one a young lady and the other a little girl near the age of the 
President's own daughter, Nellie Arthur. 

The little Nellie Arthur, we are told, was extremely fond 
of children, especially of poor children. She was an active 
member of the Guild of the Holy Child, a charitable organiza- 
tion of St. John's Episcopal Church, where her father attended 
services. 

Nellie Arthur became president also of the Christmas Club, 
a society of school children that arranged a Christmas tree and 



420 Inside History oe the White House 

dinner for the young sons and daughters of the poor. Many 
children joined the club, and were honored by having the badge 
of the order, a blue ribbon, pinned on their breasts by the young 
daughter of President Arthur. 

The President himself, perceiving how deeply interested 
his little daughter was in the Christmas Club, would sometimes 
personally attend the annual meetings, and, standing at Nellie's 
side on the platform, would beam down upon the sea of happy 
faces and deliver an address appropriate to the occasion. 



CHAPTER XLV 
Recreations of the Presidents 

THE recreations and pastimes of the Presidents have ever 
been of special interest to the sport-loving - American 
people. In their eagerness to learn of White House 
events, newspaper readers have never ceased to search for news 
of the ways and means adopted by the Presidents of- the United 
States to secure recreation, exercise or amusement either in or 
out-of-doors. 

President Roosevelt, as the whole nation knows, is fond of 
every form of recreation excepting that of automobiling, 
though horseback riding, walking and tennis are his favorite 
forms of recreation in Washington, while hunting is the sport 
he prefers when on his vacations. 

George Washington's favorite indoor recreations were con- 
fined to billiards and to listening to harp music. His adopted 
daughter, Eleanor Parke Custis, was a skilful and sympathetic 
performer on the graceful instrument so favored by President 
Washington. The favorite outdoor recreation of the "Father 
of his Country," like that of all his immediate successors in the 
White House, was riding a horse. 

President John Quincy Adams, as we learn from his diary, 
often spent two of the morning hours swimming in the Poto- 
mac. He records the further fact that "my evenings are filled 
with idleness or at the billiard table." One entry reads : 

"July 1 8, 1826, rose at 5:30 and bathed in river; played 
billiards from six to seven in the evening." Another entry a 
year later reads: "I rise generally before five — frequently 
before four. Write from one to two hours in this diary. 



422 Inside History of the White House 

Rode about twelve miles in two hours on horseback, with my 
son John. Return home about nine ; breakfast, and from that 
time till dinner between five and six, afternoon, am occupied 
incessantly with visitors, business and reading letters, 
despatches and newspapers. I spend an hour, sometimes 
before and sometimes after dinner in the garden and nursery ; 
an hour of drowsiness on a sofa, and two hours of writing in 
the evening. Retire usually between eleven and midnight." 

President Roosevelt's Outdoor Pastimes in Washington 

On pleasant afternoons in Washington, President Roose- 
velt rides one of his favorite horses. On rainy afternoons he 
walks. A Washington press despatch tells how the President 
once tramped four miles through a driving snow-storm at 
night, thus : 

"President Roosevelt stole a march last night upon the 
Secret Service men, and a few minutes after they had departed 
for their homes, left the White House by a side entrance, and, 
unaccompanied, walked for an hour and a half through the fast- 
falling snow. 

"The President started toward the Monument, without 
overcoat, and wearing on his head the broad Rough Rider hat 
that he uses on his hunting expeditions. He went to the 
speedway, traversed the driving course several times, and then 
started toward Georgetown. He walked at least four miles, 
returning to the White House about 8 130 o'clock his face aglow 
as the result of his brisk tramp." 

How the President takes the lead whenever he is accom- 
panied by young men on his walking expeditions at the National 
Capital is related by James Creeland, in Pearson s Magazine. 
Mr. Creelman says that Mr. Roosevelt "tries to inflame all his 
assistants with his own zeal." He wants them to go at things 
without hesitation and without fear. He wants them to put 
principle before propriety and to dash on like healthy men who 
care little about the dirt and blood-stains acquired in an honest 
fight. 



Recreations oe the Presidents 423 

"When Mr. Bacon became Assistant Secretary of State," 
Mr. Creelman says, "he had a good illustration of the rough 
symbolism by which Mr. Roosevelt frequently impresses his 
virile spirit upon his associates. Mr. Bacon is one of the most 
carefully attired men in the country. He was invited to go for 
a walk with the President, and, when he appeared, was dressed 
'within an inch of his life'. Mr. Pinchot of the Bureau of For- 
estry also attended." 

What followed, Mr. Creelman suggests, was not mere 
rough play. It was an initiation into the psychology of the 
Roosevelt Administration. 

"After a long walk the party returned along the bank of 
the Potomac. As night fell they found themselves at the edge 
of a deep, wide pond lying between them and the White House. 
Without a moment's hesitation the President put his money 
and his watch in his hat and plunged into the water, swim- 
ming three hundred feet before he reached the opposite shore. 
Mr. Bacon, in his new suit of clothes and with a tightly rolled 
umbrella in his hand, was forced to swim across with Mr. 
Pinchot. 

" 'What difference does it make' ? said the President, as the 
three dripping figures started for the White House. 'It was 
the shortest, quickest way and a wetting does no harm'." 

President McKinley's Daily Walks 

"President McKinley's favorite exercise was walking. He 
was, it has been recorded, a rapid and erect walker, and he was 
frequently seen about the White House grounds or on Connecti- 
cut Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, walking with his Secre- 
tary or one of the members of his Cabinet. He apparently 
enjoyed the walks exceedingly, and was very punctilious in 
responding to bows of passers-by. Particularly did he notice 
workingmen who, knowing this trait, almost invariably lifted 
their hats to him. 

"President McKinley," says one biographer, "was a familiar 
figure in Washington. Mr. McKinley differed from some of 



424 Inside History oE the White House 

his predecessors in the democratic frequency of his moving 
about. He did not immure himself in the White House. He 
seemed to enjoy seeing and being seen." Almost every pleas- 
ant day the President took a walk just as he did when he 
was a member of the House. His shoulders thrown back so 
that he could freely breathe the air, his head high and his arms 
swinging, he strode along as if he enjoyed the exercise and as 
if he were bound to get every physical benefit from every move- 
ment. ''Mr. McKinley liked the outdoor air," says another 
biographer. "He found in it freedom from the daily worry 
and fret which go with high official place, and he secured 
inspiration from it. It was partly to his outdoor habit that the 
President owed the marvelous poise which came to be so 
marked a trait in his character." 

A Washington correspondent of McKinley's time reports 
the fact that Mr. McKinley's physician "ordered" the Presi- 
dent to take daily walks and goes on to say that "in addition 
to his drives the President will take an hour's walk daily." This 
does not mean that he will appear more frequently on the streets 
than heretofore, as the White House grounds afford wide lati- 
tude for this kind of exercise. 

"After attending church this morning the President, fol- 
lowing the advice of his physician, went into the lot back of 
the White House and passed an hour walking briskly among 
the beautiful flowers and shrubbery, there being just enough 
undulation to the ground to give the needed exercise." 

Grover Cleveland on the Out-of-Door Life 

President Cleveland's favorite sports, indulged when ever 
he could spare the time from his duties in Washington, were 
duck-shooting and fishing. It was reported at the time of his 
residence in the White House that he was a great believer in 
sleep, and that he snatched a nap whenever he could. On top 
of this report the following appeared in the press of the 
country : 

"There is a story that when he goes fishing about Gray 



Recreations of the Presidents 427 

Gables on these warm days and bites are not as plentiful as 
they ought to be, Mr. Cleveland will drop off gently into 
slumber. There is an element of peril in this tendency, how- 
ever, because one day he sat down on the edge of a grassy 
bank, cast his line and soon slept deeply. Along came a couple 
of fishermen, and, as the President is well known by sight 
there, they became alarmed at sight of him nodding thus on a 
bank, and they promptly waked him up, fearing that if he 
slept on much longer he would tumble into the water. 

"Very soon the story spread, and by this time it is said to be 
a regular duty to keep an eye on the President in order that he 
may meet with no accident, while he sleeps. He has, in fact, 
met with one mishap already, because a bee stung him on the 
hand and it swelled considerably. 

"Mr. Cleveland is amused rather than otherwise by these 
alarms, and refuses to allow any hired attendant to perform 
these offices for him, relying instead upon the company of a 
stray fisherman. He met a village boy on a recent fishing trip 
and fished with him for hours. The boy knew perfectly who 
his companion was, but it made no difference, and the two 
shared the labor as well as the sport of the day. In this respect 
Mr. Cleveland is a very successful man in dealing with people." 

Mr. Cleveland was one of the hardest workers ever known 
in the White House, but he believed thoroughly in the beneficial 
effects of recreation, as we know from his own utterances in 
which he says : 

"Men may accumulate wealth in neglect of the law of 
recreation, but how infinitely much they will forfeit in the 
deprivation of wholesome vigor, in the loss of the placid fitness 
for the quiet joys and comforts of advancing years and in the 
displacement of contented age by the demon of querulous and 
premature decrepitude !" 

President Jackson Lends His Riding- Horse to a Friend 

It is related that though President Andrew Jackson loved 
a horse very much, he loved a friend better. Francis P. Blair, 



428 Inside History of the White House 

in his history of the Jackson regime at the White House, tells 
the following tale illustrative of the fact just stated : * 

"Three young horses were brought from the Hermitage 
(Jackson's Tennessee home) to Washington. On a beautiful 
spring day they were to be tried upon a race-course near the 
city. Early in the morning of that day, Mr. Blair had occasion 
to visit the President's office, where he found Major Donelson, 
booted and spurred just about to ride away to the race- 
course to see what the young horses could do. 

" 'Come with us, Blair', said Major Donelson, 'it's a fine day 
and you'll enjoy it.' 

" 'No', said Mr. Blair, 'I can't go to-day. Besides, I've no 
horse'. 

" 'Well, get one from the livery stable'. 

" 'Not to-day, Major'. 

"The President, who was in the room, busy over some 
papers, cried out: 

" 'Why, Mr. Blair, take my horse. Donelson, order my 
horse for Mr. Blair'. 

" 'The Secretary hesitated, looked confused, and at last 
stammered out : 

" 'Well, Blair, come on, then'. 

"They walked out together, and getting to the bottom of the 
steps, found the General's well-known horse already saddled 
and bridled. 

" 'Why, the General is going himself, then !' exclaimed Mr. 
Blair. 

" 'He was going', said the Major, sorrowfully, 'but he won't 
go now'. 

" 'But let us go back and persuade him'. 

" 'It will be of no use', said Major Donelson. 'He had set 
his heart upon seeing those colts run to-day. But he has now 
set his heart upon your going. I know him, Blair. It will 
only offend him if we say another word about it. He has' 
made up his mind that you shall go, and that he will not. So, 
mount'." 



CHAPTER XLVI 
Presidential Horses, Carriages and Stables 

WE READ little about the White House stables, yet 
many incidents of interest have occurred relating to 
the horses and carriages of the President as well as in 
relation to coachmen and grooms. 

How are the White House stables maintained? Who pays 
for the official horses and carriages? Every year Congress 
makes an appropriation for this purpose, yet the Government 
does not now and never has provided horses or carriages for 
the President. The appropriation covers merely the cost of 
horses for office and secretarial use and of maintaining the 
stable building and employes necessary to keep it in order. The 
Presidents have always paid for their own horses and carriages 
and for the feed for the animals. The Government appro- 
priation, however, in addition to covering the expense of main- 
taining the stable building, pays for four horses for the Secre- 
tary to the President and covers the salary of driver and groom. 

Three horses for general "office" use are also furnished 
by the Government. 

President Roosevelt's Ten Horses 

President Roosevelt's equipment in horses consists of two 
carriage teams and six riding horses for his family, ten in all. 
These, together with the four horses for Secretary Loeb and 
the three office horses, are all the White House stable will 
hold. In carriages, President Roosevelt has a landau, a 
brougham, a surrey and a buggy, the latter being for the use 
of his children. 



430 Inside History of the White House 

The livery of all connected with Mr. Roosevelt's stable 
consists of blue coats, white doeskin trousers, high boots and 
top hat with red, white and blue cockade. When Mr. Roose- 
velt goes forth in his carriage, two men are usually "on the 
box," these being a colored coachman and a colored footman. 

Stables of Washington, Arthur and Cleveland 

Of all the equipages in which our Presidents have ridden, 
the most gorgeous were those used by President George Wash- 
ington. On State occasions Washington drove in a carriage 
drawn by six horses all brilliantly caparisoned. His coachmen 
and footmen were dressed in white livery trimmed with orange. 
The coach was a cream-colored affair with panels decorated by 
famous artists in the style following that of Louis XVI. 

Of the later Presidents, Mr. Arthur probably possessed the 
finest array of horses and carriages. His landau was painted 
a dark green trimmed with red. It was drawn by two exqui- 
sitely matched horses of dark mahogany color. Silver mount- 
ings were conspicuous on the harness. All the lap-robes of the 
coachmen were decorated with the President's monogram. 
The one used by the President inside the carriage was of 
Labrador otter. 

President Cleveland's stable was most modest. He pos- 
sessed only five horses. He provided a victoria for the use of 
Mrs. Cleveland, but the President himself was most fond of 
a buggy. In his administration, only three horses for office 
and secretarial use were provided by the Government, and 
these were used by Mr. Cleveland's private secretary, Mr. 
Daniel Lamont. 

Mr* McKinley's Traps Attracted Attention 

President McKinley walked more than he drove. The 
result was that, whenever he appeared in a new kind of car- 
riage, the correspondents sent out all sorts of stories con- 
cerning the equipage of the President. One despatch of the 
time reads: 



Presidential Horses, Carriages and Stables 431 

"The President has bought a new trap, which he initiated 
to-day. It is constructed on the most fashionable lines, is 
strictly up to date, embodies all that is modern, including rubber 
tires, meets all the requirements of society folk and, altogether, 
is the smartest turnout ever owned by a Chief Magistrate of 
the United States. It is for the exclusive use of Mr. and Mrs. 
McKinley. There is one seat in front and a single seat behind 
for the footman. 

"The trap was not purchased for the purpose of ostentation, 
nor because it is stylish, but because it will afford the President 
more opportunity for outdoor exercise. With this rig he 
handles the reins himself and thus gets the full benefit of his 
drives. Mr. McKinley enjoys driving when he guides the 
horses himself. He is a horseman of no mean ability, as he 
proved last winter when he drove a spirited span hitched to 
a cutter. 

"With Mrs. McKinley at his side, he thoroughly enjoyed 
the innovation, and so did she. They took a spin along Con- 
necticut Avenue, the most fashionable thoroughfare in Wash- 
ington. Coming and going, were traps, carriages and rigs of 
every description, but none pleased the fastidious eye more than 
the Presidential turnout. 

"The President enjoys his trap the more because Mrs. 
McKinley can share the pleasure with him. Some months ago 
he frequently took horseback rides, but he could not have the 
company of his wife, whose comfort is always his first thought." 

A newspaper article of a later date tells of a new carriage 
used by President McKinley that cost $1,300 and came from a 
Chicago firm. "The father of the head of the firm was a car- 
riagemaker in Maine nearly half a century ago and constructed 
President Pierce's carriage." 

President Franklin Pierce went riding through Washing- 
ton in 1852, in the carriage above referred to, an unpretentious 
one-horse "shay." It was really his chariot of state. It was 
a two-wheeled affair, built in Norway, Maine, and it was worth 
in the days of its youth and splendor, just $150. "It is now," 



432 Inside History oe the White House 

says a report written some years ago, "in the possession of Mr. 
C. P. Kimball, of Chicago, at whose father's carriage-factory 
it was built." 

How President Grant Bought His Finest Trotter 

President Grant loved a good horse better than all else in 
the world excepting his family and friends. Even during his 
term in the White House he never had much money to spare 
for luxuries, but it seems that he simply could not resist an 
extravagant desire for a particularly fine pair of driving horses 
which he happened to see one day in the White House grounds. 
Senator John P. Jones told the story at the time, as follows : 

"A butcher in Washington owned one of the finest driving 
horses I ever saw, and from the moment Grant clapped his 
eyes on that proud, high-stepping animal his very soul yearned 
to possess it. He dared not tell anybody of his desire to own 
the horse because he feared some overzealous friend or schem- 
ing lobbyist would buy it and give it to him. Only to me did 
he confide this secret of his heart — for such it really was. 

"I watched developments with keen interest, confident what 
the outcome would be in spite of my knowledge that Grant was 
never harder up than he was just then. Congress had not at 
that time increased the President's salary from twenty-five 
thousand dollars to fifty thousand dollars, and Grant actually 
needed every cent of his salary to make both ends meet. But 
just as I confidently expected, it wasn't long before Grant 
bought the butcher's horse. He had to give six hundred dol- 
lars for it. The day after the purchase Grant invited Conkling 
and me to see the horse, though just why he wanted Conkling — 
who cared nothing at all for horses — to come along I was 
unable to guess, unless it was that he wanted to get another 
lecture from the imperious. New Yorker for .extravagance. 

" 'Isn't he fine, Jones'?" Grant said to me. 

"'I assented'. - . 

" 'Don't you think he's magnificent, Conkling' ? Grant then 
exclaimed, stroking the animal's fine mane. ■ . - ... 



Presidential Horses, Carriages and Stables 433 

" 'I guess he'll do', replied Conkling. 'But how much did 
you give for him' ? 

" 'Six hundred dollars', responded Grant. 

" 'Umph' ! snapped Conkling. 'All I have got to say is 
•that I would rather have six hundred dollars than the horse'. 

" 'That's what the butcher thought', said Grant, and he 
nudged me in the ribs with an elbow." 

President Grant's Patience With His Coachman 

A story illustrating how General Grant bore patiently with 
any shortcomings on the part of the White House servants, 
is told by Doorkeeper Pendel, who relates the following : 

"General Grant displayed more patience than any President 
I ever saw in the White House. Once he came downstairs to 
take a drive in his buggy. The buggy was not there. He 
smoked his cigar, and waited and waited. He walked up and 
down the portico, and would 'right about' in regular army style, 
and walked up and down, and smoked again, and after waiting 
until the patience of an ordinary man would have been worn out, 
Albert, the coachman, finally appeared. Instead of railing out 
at Albert for his slow appearance, the President said something 
pleasant to him, took the reins and drove off." 

Thomas Jefferson's Equipages 

The story has come down to us that Thomas Jefferson, on 
the morning of his inauguration as President of the United 
States, rode to the Capitol unaccompanied and on horseback, 
dismounted and tied his horse to a rail. This story, may or 
may not be true, but the narrator of the tale omits to add that 
Mr. Jefferson, at the time, lived in a boarding-house within a 
stone's throw of the Capitol, hence necessitating only a short 
ride ; and that he had really ordered a "coach and four" for the 
occasion, but the equipage did not arrive in time, the man of 
whom the vehicle was ordered, Jack Eppes, being delayed by a 
mishap on the road. One historian writes of this episode as 
follows : . • • ' 



434 Inside History of the White House 

"Mr. Jefferson himself, like Washington, was fond of 
horses, handsome equipages and handsome dress, despite what 
has been said of his Republican simplicity. He may have 
ridden horseback up to the Capitol for his Inauguration, as goes 
the myth, but he meant to have a fine coach and four for the 
occasion — only Jacky Eppes did not get to Washington with 
them in season. He may sometimes have been carelessly 
attired, but often he flashed out in his white coat, scarlet 
breeches and vest, and white silk hose fit to figure on a 
Watteau fan." 

President Jackson's Eccentric and Historical Vehicles 

The strangest vehicle ever used by a President was that used 
by President Andrew Jackson at a time when the American 
poet, N. P. Willis, happened to be in Washington as a visitor at 
the White House. Says Mr. Willis : 

"Some eccentric mechanic has presented President Jackson 
with a sulky made of rough cut hickory, with the bark on. It 
has very much the everlasting look of "Old Hickory" himself, 
and if he could be seen driving a high-stepping, bony old iron- 
gray steed in it, any passer-by would see that there was as 
much fitness in the whole thing as in the chariot of Bacchus and 
his reeling leopards. Some curiously-twisted and gnarled 
branches have been very ingeniously turned into handles and 
whip-box, and the vehicle is compact and strong. 

"In very strong contrast to the sulky, stood close by, the 
elegant phaeton made of the wood of the old frigate Consti- 
tution. It has a seat for two, with a driver's-box covered with 
superb hammercloth, and set up rather high in front ; the wheels 
and body are low, and there are bars for baggage behind. 
The material is excessively beautiful — a fine grained oak, pol- 
ished to a very high degree, with its colors brought out by a 
coat of varnish. The wheels are very slender and light, but 
strong, and, with all its finish, it looks like a vehicle capable of 
a great deal of service. A portrait of the Constitution, under 
full sail, is painted on the panels." 



Presidential Horses, Carriages and Stables 435 

General Taylor's War Horse 

N. P. Willis was again in Washington in President Taylor's 
time, and while there wrote the following account of that par- 
ticular pet of General Taylor's, his war horse: 

"We felt the smoke of Buena Vista and Resaca de la Palma, 
of Palo Alto and Monterey, pushing us toward the old cannon- 
proof charger. He went smelling about the edges of the side- 
walk — wondering, probably, at such warm weather and no 
grass — and we crossed over to have a nearer look at him, with 
a feeling that the glory was not all taken from his back with the 
saddle and holsters. 'Old Whitey' is a compact, hardy, well- 
proportioned animal, less of a battle-steed, in appearance, than 
of the style usually defined by the phrase 'family-horse', slightly 
knock-kneed, and with a tail (I afterwards learned) very much 
thinned by the numerous applications for 'a hair of him for 
memory'. He had evidently been long untouched with a curry- 
comb — the name of 'Old Whitey', indeed, hardly describing 
with fidelity a coat so matted and yellow. But remembering 
the beatings of the great heart he had borne upon his back — 
the anxieties, the energies, the defiances of danger, the iron 
impulses to danger, it was impossible to look upon him without 
a throb in the throat. 

"We saw General Taylor himself, for the first time, the 
next day — with more thought and reverence of course, than 
had been awakened by looking upon his horse — but with not 
half the emotion. The 'hero-President' has been more truth- 
fully described than any man we ever read much of before 
seeing." 



CHAPTER XLVH 
Presidential Farewells 

STORIES of the varying conditions under which the Presi- 
dents left the White House, after a residence there of four 
or eight years, or for shorter or longer terms, are interest- 
ing in the extreme. Each President's manner of farewell to 
his official home in Washington depended upon his tem- 
perament or upon his success in office. Washington and John 
Adams and Jefferson all said farewell with gladness in their 
hearts, for each of these was well along in years at the time, 
and each was glad to lay down the formalities of public life. 
John Quincy Adams, like his father before him, did not wait 
to witness the inauguration of his successor. President John- 
son, weary of the attacks of his enemies, said good-bye to the 
White House with a sigh of relief. 

Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Garfield and Mrs. McKinley all left the 
White House in deep mourning and profound sorrow, of 
course. But nearly all the other ladies of the Executive Man- 
sion left with a feeling of genuine regret, for a careful read- 
ing of the records shows that nearly all the "First Ladies" 
enjoyed to the full their life in the historic home of the 
Presidents. 

Jefferson Said Farewell With Tears of Joy 

Thomas Jefferson, after two terms in the White House, 
said, with tears in his eyes, that he was glad, beyond expres- 
sion, to return "to the clover fields of his farm at Monticello." 
A few days before his retirement, he wrote a letter to one of 
his friends, Dupont de Nemours, in which he said : 



Presidential Farewells 437 

"Within a few days I retire to my family, my books and 
farms ; and having gained the harbor myself, I shall look on my 
friends still buffeting the storm with anxiety indeed, but not 
with envy. Never did a prisoner, released from his chains, 
feel such relief as I shall, on shaking off the shackles of power. 
Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by ren- 
dering them my supreme delight. But the enormities of the 
times in which I have lived, have forced me to take part in 
resisting them, and to commit myself on the boisterous ocean 
of political passions. I thank God for the opportunity of retir- 
ing from them without censure, and carrying with me the most 
consoling proofs of public approbation." 

Jackson's Return to His Beloved "Hermitage" 

President Andrew Jackson left the White House without 
regret. Not that he was tired of serving his country, but that 
age was creeping upon him and the mental and physical strain 
of public life was beginning to tell upon his general health. 
His granddaughter, Mrs. Rachel Lawrence, who, at an 
advanced age, is or was until very recently, still living near her 
grandfather's old home in Tennessee, describes in a most inter- 
esting way, her recollections of the return journey of General 
Jackson and his family, from Washington to the "Hermitage," 
after the inauguration of Van Buren. 

"My grandfather," she says, as recorded in an interview in 
a Munsey publication, "and my mother occupied the back seat 
of the old family coach, and my father and Dr. Gwynn, the 
physician, were on the front seat. My brother Andrew and I 
were in the chartered stage-coach with our nurses, entrusted to 
the charge of Colonel Earl and Major W. B. Lewis. The 
coach was overturned on the way, which caused great excite- 
ment, but no injuries. 

■"All. along the route we were given ovations. At one place 
a wreath of laurel was placed upon General Jackson's head. 
This wreath was stowed away in the top of the carriage and 
remained there until some few years ago. 



438 Inside History of the White House 

"The General gave away to his namesakes one hundred and 
fifty half-dollars in silver, same to the mothers who presented 
their children; 'This is our country's eagle. It will do now 
for the little one to cut his teeth on, but teach him to love and 
defend it'. 

"We traveled about thirty-five miles a day, and were almost 
a month in reaching the "Hermitage." 

"Then came delightful rides about the plantation on Sam 
Patch, the big gray war-horse. Seated on a pillow before 
grandpa, Sam Patch carried us the rounds every morning 
immediately after breakfast ; first to the negro quarters and Dun 
Woody's cabin for a talk about the colts, and then on to the 
cotton-fields, where the negroes were at work. Frequently, as 
we passed, they would throw up their hats and cheer for 'Ole 
Marster'. 

"Oh, those days with my grandfather! They are set in 
my memory like beautiful gems! His affection for me was 
returned with an ardent devotion. My love for him deepened 
and strengthened with my years. Child though I was, no 
other companionship was so delightful to me. To ride or walk 
with him was my great joy ; but when he was employed in read- 
ing or writing I would remain contentedly near him. When the 
end came, my grief at his loss was inconsolable. 

"It was grandpa's daily custom to visit, just before night- 
fall, the tomb wherein his wife rested. He would come out on 
the piazza — standing for a moment looking out on the drive- 
way of evergreens leading to the door — and would then slowly 
walk through the flowered paths of the garden to the tomb, 
where he stood with bowed, uncovered head in silence. As his 
health failed, my mother accompanied him upon this evening 
pilgrimage, he leaning heavily upon her for support. 

"I was starting for school on the Monday preceding his 
death," continues Mrs. Lawrence, (referring to the time when 
she was thirteen years of age), "and had gone into grandpa's 
room to bid him good-bye. He stroked my hair and kissed me 
affectionately as usual, then tremblingly removed the ivory 



Presidential Farewells 439 

miniature of his wife from his breast, where he had worn it 
since her death. Placing it tenderly within my hand, he 
clasped them both within his own, and said: 'Keep this, my 
baby, for her sake, whose name you bear, and for mine'. To 
this hour this miniature is my most cherished possession'." 

Van Bur en Leaves Democratically on Foot 

President Van Buren left the White House on foot, becom- 
ing thus of a sudden once more an ordinary citizen, the transi- 
tion taking place with as much apparent indifference on the part 
of Mr. Van Buren as was his coming to the White House. 

An Albany (New York) newspaper of that time relates 
that "on Monday, March 1st, a large number of the Democracy 
called upon Mr. Van Buren, and were received by him in the 
celebrated East Room, where he bid them farewell. He walked 
down the avenue to-day (March 4th), as unconcerned as the 
most humble spectator in the crowd." 

President Tyler Exchanges White House for Hotel 

President Tyler, before leaving the White House, engaged 
quarters at a Washington Hotel, Fuller's, and, after welcoming 
his successor, President Polk, drove to his temporary home 
with Mrs. Tyler. About that time Mrs. Tyler, the President's 
young second wife, wrote to her mother, saying: 

"The last word has been spoken — the last link is broken 
that bound me to Washington, and I should like you to have 
witnessed the emotions and heard the warm expressions that 
marked our departure. Let me see — where shall I begin? I 
will go back to Saturday, though I shall have to be very brief 
in all I say. Saturday then, the President approved the Texas 
treaty, and I have now suspended from my neck the immortal 
golden pen, given expressly for the occasion. The same day 
we had a brilliant dinner-party for Mr. and Mrs. Polk. I wore 
my black-blonde over white satin, and in the evening received 
a large number of persons. 

"On Sunday, the President held a Cabinet council from 



440 Inside; History oe the White House 

compulsion; on Monday a Texas messenger was despatched; 
on Sunday evening Mrs. Semple arrived; on Monday, in the 
morning, we concluded our packing, Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. 
Mason came up to my bedroom, and sat a little — while I made 
my toilette — offering their services in any way. At five in the 
afternoon, a crowd of friends, ladies and gentlemen, assembled 
in the Blue Room, to shake hands with us and escort us from 
the White House. As the President and myself entered they 
divided into two lines, and when we had passed to the head of 
the room, surrounded and saluted us. Gen. Van Ness requested 
them to stand back, and himself stept forward, and delivered 
'on behalf, and at the request of many ladies and gentlemen 
citizens of Washington, a farewell address'. 

"I saw, before he concluded, a response of some kind would 
be almost necessary from the President, and I felt a good deal 
concerned, for I knew he had prepared none, and had not 
expected to make any ; but I might have spared myself all and 
every fear, for as soon as the General finished, he raised his 
hand, his form expanded, and such a burst of beautiful and 
poetic eloquence as proceeded from him could only be called 
inspiration. His voice was more musical than ever ; it rose and 
fell, and trembled, and rose again. The effect was irresistible, 
and the deep admiration and respect it elicited was told truly 
in the sobs and exclamations of all around. As they shook us 
by the hand when we entered our carriage, they could not utter 
farewell. 

"The Empire Club, in costume, was present, and cheered 
again and again. They followed in the procession which was 
formed to the hotel, and cheered as we alighted. Among the 
ladies present whom you know, besides the Cabinet ladies, were 
Mrs. Roosevelt, Mrs. Beeckman — but I have not time to think 
and enumerate. At the hotel our visitors did not fall off. We 
did not attend the Inauguration Ball ; and the next morning 
we determined to depart from Washington, adopting 'French 
leave'; but when we reached the wharf at nine o'clock in the 
morning, the boat had gone, and we had to return, to our regret. 



Presidential Farewells 441 

All that day, which was yesterday, our parlor was thronged." 

At the same time, another published account of President 
Tyler's last days in Washington has come down to us, stating 
the following: 

"Hearing President Tyler had appointed this afternoon to 
receive his friends at the White House for the last time, I went 
there. I found he had engaged a suite of rooms for his family 
at Fuller's Hotel, to which he expected to repair about five or 
five-thirty o'clock. When I reached the White House, the 
doors were wide open, and the receiving room already densely 
crowded with people, among whom were a great many beautiful 
and fashionable ladies. 

"Mrs. Tyler was looking charmingly beautiful. She was 
dressed in a neat and beautiful suit of black with light black 
bonnet and veil. I never saw any woman look more cheerful 
and happy. She seemed to act as though she had been impris- 
oned within the walls of the White House, and was now about 
to escape to the beautiful country fields of her own native Long 
Island. Among those near the President, I noticed a large 
number of the most respectable families all belonging to the 
District. 

"Captain Tyler, during his four years' residence here, has, 
by his social and hospitable habits, endeared a large circle of 
private friends to him. They now assembled to express their 
regret at having the ties of neighborly friendship broken. As 
time progressed, the scene became very affecting. Several who 
approached him, on taking him by the hand, were seen to shed 
tears. Mr. Tyler stood cool and collected, receiving all who 
approached him with great cordiality and politeness." 

President Johnson Smiles "While His Friends "Weep 

President Johnson, beset by enemies whose attacks had con- 
tinued to harass him all during his term in office, left the 
White House with feelings of deep relief. Reporters of that 
day tell us how, on the third of March, 1869, the day before 
General Grant came to the White House, "at twelve o'clock 



442 Inside History of the White House 

President Johnson's private reception room was thrown open 
to an immense throng of visitors. The President was in the 
room and shook hands with all the visitors, many of whom 
seemed much affected, being personal friends." 

President Hayes' Last Hours in the White House 

Doorkeeper Pendel says that toward the close of the admin- 
istration of President Hayes, the callers increased. "For the 
last two days I had never seen anything like it. There were 
more weeping people when they were about to say good-bye 
than I ever saw in the White House in all my life, and at the 
out-going of their administration, and the incoming of the Gar- 
field administration, I was so very busy that I did not have 
no opportunity to shake hands with either the President or 
Mrs. Hayes. They became the guests of Senator Sherman, 
Secretary of the Treasury, and of Mr. Sutton. The next day 
I went over and had the pleasure of meeting the ex-President 
and Mrs. Hayes. That was the last time that I ever saw her. 
President Hayes called at the time poor Garfield was suffering 
at the White House from the effects of being shot, and that was 
the last time I ever saw him." 

When the "Baby McKees" Went Away With Harrison 

In these little stories of the farewells of the President to 
the White House, we must not overlook the ladies. For 
example, when President Benjamin Harrison took leave of his 
official home, his daughter, Mrs. McKee, held a farewell recep- 
tion on the evening preceding Inauguration Day, at which she 
took leave of her friends. Published accounts of the event say : 

"Mrs. McKee had a charming reception last night in the 
Red Parlor in the White House. She had made an engage- 
ment to meet only a few friends, but these brought others, and 
between five and six o'clock hosts of people were coming and 
going. None cared to say good-bye, because it was a rather 
hard word to say to a hostess who had been so genuinely cordial 
and so thoroughly attractive in every way. The President, 



Presidential Farewells 445 

who had just returned from his usual walk, joined the com- 
pany in the parlor and enjoyed a chat with many whom he had 
not met for nearly a year. Mr. McKee, who came on the day 
before to accompany his family home to Indianapolis, was also 
. at the reception." 

When Grant Revisited the White House 

Some of the Presidents, years after leaving their official 
home as the Chief Executive, have revisited the White House 
in the role, not of that of ex-president, but as ordinary citizens. 
This is especially true of General Grant and of Benjamin 
Harrison. 

General Grant was one of the few ex-Presidents who visited 
the White House as a private citizen after having reigned there 
as master. So far as the records show Grant was the only 
President who revisited the White House after the lapse of 
ten years or more. 

Grant paid his visit to the White House more than twelve 
years after the expiration of his second term. The following 
account of his visit is given by Thomas Pendel, head door- 
keeper, who held the same position while Grant was President 
as he did in Arthur's administration — Grant's reappearance at 
the White House occurring during Arthur's term. 

"The last time I saw General Grant alive," says Mr. Pendel, 
"was one Saturday afternoon when I met him in the main ves- 
tibule of the White House. He said to me, 'I would like to take 
a look at the East Room'. I said, 'Certainly, General, walk 
right in'. After he came out I said, 'General, would you like 
to take a look through the parlors' ? He said, 'Yes, I would'. 
After I showed him through the Green and the Blue Parlors, 
we entered into the Red Parlor. There was in it a very fine 
portrait of Chester A. Arthur. After he looked at it awhile, he 
turned to me and said, 'Who is the artist that painted that' ? I 
said, 'That is by LeClair of New York, an American artist of 
French descent'. He said, 'Oh, yes ! He is a very good artist. 
He is painting a portrait for me now'. And that is the painting 



446 Inside History oe the White House 

which is now hanging in the main corridor, leading to the 
Blue Parlor. It is full life-size, ad the best portrait I ever 
saw of General Grant. A singular incident this, that after he 
had been President of the United States for eight years, I 
should be showing him around through the White House." 

Benjamin Harrison a Visitor "Where He Once "Was Master 

While President McKinley was the tenant of the White 
House he was one day approached by one of the ushers who 
said: 

"Mr. President, ex-President Harrison is in the East Room, 
just to look around, and says not to disturb you." 

Now President McKinley was one of those hosts of the 
White House who always knew exactly what to do to make 
other people feel at home. Long years of devotion to his 
invalid wife had made it a habit with him to consider the com- 
fort of others. Therefore, as soon as he learned that General 
Harrison was in the house, accompanied, it should be added, 
by Mrs. Harrison, Mr. McKinley at once informed the mem- 
bers of his Cabinet, over a meeting of which he was presiding 
at the moment, that the "most distinguished American in 
America was present in the White House." 

All the more ready was Mr. McKinley to receive General 
and Mrs. Harrison on account of the fact that, during Gen- 
eral Harrison's tenancy of the White House, Mr. McKinley 
had himself often been a guest there for many days at a time. 
So Mr. McKinley now adjourned the Cabinet meeting and 
went to the reception-room to welcome General Harrison and 
his wife. He took them upstairs to the private apartments 
where Mrs. McKinley was engaged in her favorite occupation 
of sewing, and there said to his visitors : 

"You lived here once. You know the old place better than 
I do. It must have pleasant memories for you both. I shall 
esteem it a rare pleasure to have you drop in on us whenever 
you are in town. You may be sure that you will be welcome 
always." 



CHAPTER XLVHI 
Died in the White House 

AS NOT one of the three martyred Presidents died within 
the walls of the White House, this chapter is given up 
to those masters, mistresses and their relatives and 
friends who perished in that historic home. Of the five Presi- 
dents who died in their term of office three were the martyred 
ones. Of these, Lincoln breathed his last in a house in Wash- 
ington near Ford's Theatre; Garfield died at Elberon, a sea- 
side resort in New Jersey, and McKinley passed away at Mr. 
Milburn's house in Buffalo. The story of the last days of 
these three Chief Executives is told in the following chapter. 
The two remaining Presidents who perished during their term 
of office, W. H. Harrison and Zachary Taylor, closed their 
eyes in their last sleep, each after a period of sickness, in the 
White House. 

Two mistresses of the White House, also, died there — the 
first Mrs. Tyler and the first Mrs. Benjamin Harrison. Mrs. 
Fillmore died March 30, 1853, a short time after President Fill- 
more's term expired. 

In regard to the deaths of the two Presidents who died in 
the White House — both Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Harrison felt 
that care and responsibility killed their husbands; while others 
ascribed the responsibility for the deaths of these two Presi- 
dents to the "unsanitary condition of the White House." 

The Death of President Harrison 

By the death of General William Henry Harrison, a Vice- 
President was called, for the first time in the history of our 



448 Inside History of the; White; House; 

country, to take his place as the nation's Chief Executive. 
John Tyler, therefore, was the first President to come into 
office under such circumstances. 

The first President for whom the bells of Washington tolled, 
a month after he took the oath of office, was the "Hero of 
Tippecanoe." Mrs. Harrison was absent at the time, in a dis- 
tant State, but was making ready to come to her husband. 

This first death within the White House occurred on the 
4th of April, 1 84 1. It seems that the aged veteran was unable 
to withstand the confinement of his new dignity and the pres- 
sure of politicians. The funeral services were held in the 
White House by the Rev. Mr. Hawley, of the Episcopal Church, 
in the presence of President Tyler, ex-President John Quincy 
Adams, members of the Cabinet and the foreign ministers. The 
procession to the Congregational burying ground was over 
two miles long, and was marshaled by mounted police who car 1 
ried white batons ornamented with black tassels. 

An instructive account is that which appears in Haw- 
thorne's History of the United States, thus: 

"General Harrison had lacked but two years of fulfilling 
the allotted span of man when he came to Washington; nor 
would he have survived so long, but for his temperate outdoor 
life in his Ohio home, for his constitution had never been 
robust. His campaign had been unusually exciting, and he had 
several times addressed the people. He made the journey to 
Washington at an inclement season, with the accompaniments 
of public demonstrations along the way, to which he responded 
heartily, as his nature prompted. When he reached the Capital, 
the pressure on his strength was increased instead of being 
relaxed ; the day of inauguration was cold and gloomy, and he 
spoke in the open air for an hour. 

"About the first of April he caught a chill from careless 
exposure, which his frame lacked vitality to resist. It developed 
into pneumonia, and he died on the fourth of the month. 'Sir', 
said he, addressing some imaginary interlocutor as he lay on 
the brink of the next world, 'I wish you to understand the true 



Died in the White: House 449 

principles of the government. I wish them to be carried out; 
I ask no more'." 

The First White House Funeral 

The funeral of the first person to die in the White House, 
the funeral of the first President to die within the home of the 
Chief Executive, was described by an eye-witness, who says : 

"On one side of the coffin sat President Tyler and the mem- 
bers of the Cabinet. Next, sat ex-President Adams, and, below 
him, four members of the last Administration. The Foreign 
Ministers with their respective suites were also present in full 
costume. On the other side of the coffin, the members of the 
late President's family and household, including his favorite 
aides-de-camp, when in service, were ranged. Representa- 
tives in Congress and many ladies were likewise present. Two 
of the late President's swords were placed upon the pall which 
was decorated with flowers. At the foot of the coffin, upon a 
table, were the Bible and prayer-book of the deceased. 

"The pall-bearers, numbering twenty-six, wore white scarfs 
and black crape. Various military companies and members of 
the Maryland legislature took part in the procession. This, the 
largest procession yet seen in Washington, extended more 
than two miles, and is said to have contained 10,000 persons. 

"It was more imposing and better arranged than that of the 
inauguration. The military escort, under the orders of Major- 
General Macomb, was composed of United States Corps of the 
military officers and volunteer corps of the District of Balti- 
more, Annapolis, Virginia, etc. The houses and stores on 
Pennsylvania Avenue, and also the public buildings, were hung 
with black, and all business was supended during the day. 

"The body was placed on a magnificent funeral car drawn by 
eight white horses, attended by grooms dressed in white. The 
car was covered entirely with black velvet, embroidered with 
gold. Immediately behind the corpse came the family of the 
deceased in carriages, and after them President Tyler in a car- 
riage with Mr. Webster. 



45° Inside; History of the White House 

The Death of President Taylor 

The death of this second President to die in the White 
House occurred on July 9, 1850. He died of bilious fever, in 
the sixty-fifth year of his life. The entire country was startled, 
and there was much real mourning for weeks after the inaugu- 
ration of his successor, Millard Fillmore, as President of the 
United States. 

It seems, that, even before Zachary Taylor took the oath of 
office, Mrs. Taylor expressed her intuitive belief that some- 
thing sad or something dreadful would overtake her husband 
during his administration. When Mrs. Taylor learned that 
her husband was elected she exclaimed with bitterness that it 
was a plot "to deprive her of his society and shorten his days 
by unnecessary care and responsibility," and it was with the 
utmost reluctance that she quitted her quiet home in Baton 
Rouge, Louisiana, to live as secluded a life as possible at the 
White House. Mrs. Taylor's premonition was fulfilled and the 
administration came to a sudden close. 

We are told by historians that, having been invited to be 
present at the laying of the corner stone of the Washington 
Monument, the venerable President participated in these cere- 
monies with deep interest. It was a hot July day, and on 
returning home he complained of feeling very much prostrated 
by the heat. He died on July 9, and the family remained in the 
mansion only till the funeral was over. The general's aged 
war horse followed his owner's body in the sad procession. 

The first symptoms showed that President Taylor was suf- 
fering from cholera. The patient continued to grow worse 
until typhoid fever developed, at which point we will take up 
the story as outlined by a despatch published at the time in 
the New York Tribune, which said: 

"The condition of the patient was now at its critical point. 
The sick chamber was restored to solemn silence, attendants 
placed on the outside, and none permitted to enter except the 
physicians. The family of the President, with Colonel Bliss 
and other relatives of the deceased, occupied a room adjoining, 



Died in the White House 451 

where they remained, overwhelmed with grief, and refusing 
even the indulgences of necessary repose. Bulletins were 
hourly sent out, to inform the masses of the changes observable 
in the patient; but these so slightly varied for the better, that 
all hope of his safety was dispelled at eleven o'clock. From 
that period till daylight the utmost anxiety prevailed. 

"The ninth dawned, but gloom still surrounded the Execu- 
tive Mansion. Thousands began to flood the avenues leading 
thither, and throughout the day a messenger was kept posted at 
the main door to answer the interrogations that were inces- 
santly poured upon him. At 10 A.M. a report circulated that 
the President had rallied— -at 1 P.M. that he was dead. 

A bulletin issued at 3:30 P.M., however, stated that the 
crisis had been passed, and he was beyond immediate danger. 
Bells rang for joy, and even the boys in the streets lit bonfires, 
and shouted in childish gratulation. The stream now to the 
White House was greater than ever, but about seven in the 
evening, the pall of gloom again shrouded all faces, for it was 
announced that the illustrious hero was dying. 

"I will not attempt to describe the commotion that ensued. 
Mrs. Taylor twice fainted from apprehension, and Colonel 
Bliss, who had never shed a tear upon the battle-plain, wept 
like a child. At thirty-five minutes past ten, his wife and 
other members of the President's family were called to his 
bedside to receive his last earthly adieu. Mrs. Taylor's aban- 
donment to grief was truly heart-piercing. 

"Those surrounding the dying President at the moment 
were his own family, including Colonel Bliss, Colonel Taylor 
and family, Jefferson Davis and family, Vice-President Fill- 
more, several Senators and Members, and a number of intimate 
friends. Without the mansion, the grounds were literally cov- 
ered with an immense multitude, who continued to linger in 
groups until after midnight, scarcely crediting the intelligence, 
though officially announced. 

"At sunrise this morning, the national colors, shrouded in 
black were disclosed at half-mast. All the public offices were 



45 2 Inside History of the White House 

closed and arrayed in the same sable colors, even to the national 
monument. The Executive Mansion was literally covered 
with black, and the badge was worn on the harness of the 
horses attached to the Secretaries' carriage. Business of all 
kinds was suspended, and a stream of people kept pouring into 
the President's grounds, and besieging the edifice until as late 
as eleven o'clock. The Executive Mansion was open till 
2 P.M., during which time the public availed themselves of the 
opportunity to visit the remains. 

"I understand that Mrs. Taylor was seized with illness, 
and that she is irreconcilable for the loss of her husband. The 
sympathies of the city are with her, and a committee of ladies 
have presented themselves at the White House to condole with 
the unfortunates." 

The Passing of Three White House Mistresses 

Twice has the White House stood swathed in black, while 
its mistress lay dead within. First when Mrs. Tyler died; 
next when Mrs. Benjamin Harrison "fell asleep in Christ." 

Mrs. John Tyler died in 1842, about one year after the death 
of President Harrison, and her's was, accordingly, the second 
death within the White House. 

The next death of a mistress of the White House was that 
of the first Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, who died of la grippe, on 
the twenty-fourth of October, 1891, her funeral taking place 
at the White House on the twenty-seventh. 

What came near to being another White House death, this 
time also a mistress of the mansion, was the passing of Mrs. 
Millard Fillmore. It happened, however, that Mrs. Fillmore 
died at Willard's Hotel. Her daughter, Miss Abigail Fill- 
more, "even during her fragile mother's lifetime, had begun to 
bear the burdens and wear the honors of 'First Lady'." 

Death of Lincoln's Son, "Tad" 

One of the saddest of the passings of members of the 
younger generation of White House families, was the death of 



Died in the White House 453 

little Willie Lincoln, the second son of President and Mrs. Lin- 
coln, "the idolized darling of both parents." Willie Lincoln 
died of smallpox, on March 20, 1862, and it is said that so deep 
was the mother's grief that she would never cross the threshold 
of the Green Room, where the body of the little boy had laid in 
its casket. To have a child named Willie was a sure passport 
for any person to the President's heart ever afterward. 

For two years after Willie's death, President and Mrs. Lin- 
coln entertained just as little as they possibly could and yet 
observe the formalities expected of a Chief Executive. The 
service conducted over the body of the beloved son is described 
in detail by the famous poet, N. P. Willis, who was present: 

"The funeral was very touching. Of the entertainments in 
the East Room, the boy had been — for those who now assem- 
bled more especially — a most life-giving variation. With his 
bright face and his apt greetings and replies, he was remem- 
bered in every part of the crimson-curtained hall, built only 
for pleasure — of all the crowds each night, certainly the one 
least likely to be death's first mark. He was his father's favor- 
ite. They were intimates — often seen hand in hand. And 
there sat the man, with a burden on his brain, at which the world 
marvels — bent, now, with the load at both heart and brain — 
staggering under a blow like the taking from him of his child. 
His men of power sat around him — McClellan, with a moist 
eye, when he bowed to the prayer, as I could see from where I 
stood; and Chase and Seward, with their austere features at 
work, and senators and ambassadors and soldiers, all struggling 
with their tears — great hearts sorrowing with the President as 
a stricken man and brother." 

Other Deaths in the "White House 

During President Grant's administration, Mrs. Grant's 
father, Judge Dent, in the eighty-fifth year of his age, died in 
the White House, in one of the chambers overlooking the 
northern portico. His remains lay in state in the Blue Room. 

In President Arthur's administration, one evening while the 



454 Inside History of the White House 

Chief Magistrate was holding a reception, the guests were 
shocked to learn that one of the most distinguished members 
of the diplomatic corps had expired within the house. This 
was Mr. Allen, Minister from Hawaii, and Dean of the Diplo- 
matic Corps. He had complained of feeling ill, and stepped to 
the cloak room to get his hat, preparatory to taking his depart- 
ure. But before he reached the outer door he fell dead. Presi- 
dent Arthur immediately dismissed his guests, his face expres- 
sive of deep sorrow as he informed them of the sad loss of 
one whom "I esteemed most highly." 



CHAPTER XLIX 

Passing of the Three Martyred Presidents 
The Passing of Lincoln 

A STRANGE coincidence it is that on the day on which 
President Lincoln was shot, by a fanatic at Ford's The- 
atre, in Washington, he came to a Cabinet meeting in the 
White House and said to his advisors, "Last night, gentlemen, 
I had a strange dream and I am, to-day, oppressed with a pre- 
sentiment of evil." A few hours later Lincoln lay dead in a 
house opposite the theatre in which he was shot by J. Wilkes 
Booth. The day was the fourteenth of April, 1865. Lincoln 
had an almost childish love for the theatre, but he went to the 
play that particular night merely because he had promised his 
friends that he would be present. As the details of the assassi- 
nation are so well-known to American readers, this chapter is 
given up more particularly to the events of Lincoln's last days 
at the White House. 

Mf« Lincoln's Last Moments in the "White House 

What Mr. Lincoln did just before leaving the White House 
for the last time, and what happened at the mansion after he 
left, is graphically related by Doorkeeper Thomas Pendel, in 
his Thirty-Six Years in the White House, as follows : 

"On the fourteenth of April, 1865, in the evening just pre- 
vious to the time when the President and Mrs. Lincoln were 
going to the theatre, George Ashmun, of Massachusetts, called 
on Mrs. Lincoln, and I showed him into the Red Parlor, took 
his card upstairs, and soon the President and Mrs. Lincoln, 



456 Inside History of the White House 

with Mr. Colfax, then Speaker of the House, came downstairs 
and went into the Red Parlor where Mr. Ashmun was wait- 
ing. They all entered into a lively local conversation, and 
came out of the Red Parlor presently, and stood in the inner 
corridor. Their conversation was about the trip Mr. Colfax 
proposed to take across the continent. They then passed out 
of the corridor into the main vestibule. Mr. Colfax bade the 
President and Mrs. Lincoln good-evening, and went upstairs 
to see the Private Secretary, Mr. John G. Nicolay. Mr. 
Ashmun went out on the portico with the President and Mrs. 
Lincoln, said good-bye and started off downtown. Ned Burke 
and Charles Forbes, the coachman and footman, respectively, 
drove over to a private residence, and took in the coach Major 
Rathbone and Miss Harris, who was the daughter of Senator 
Ira T. Harris, of New York. 

"Previous to starting for the theatre, I said to John Parker, 
who had taken my place, to accompany Mr. Lincoln, 'John, are 
you prepared' ? I meant by this to ask if he had his revolver 
and everything all ready to protect the President in case of an 
assault. Alfonso Dunn, my old companion at the door, spoke 
up and said, 'Oh, Tommy, there is no danger'. I said, 'Dunn, 
you don't know what might happen. Parker, now you start 
down to the theatre, to be ready for the President when he 
reaches there. And you see him safe inside'. He started off 
immediately, and did see Mr. Lincoln all safe inside the theatre, 
and Mrs. Lincoln, Major Rathbone and Miss Harris also 
reached the building in safety. 

"About ten o'clock, as nearly as I can remember, one of 
the sergeants of the invalid corps, who was doing duty around 
the White House, rang the bell, and I stepped to the door. He 
said. 'Have you heard the news'? I replied, 'No'. He then 
said, 'They have tried to cut the throat of Secretary Seward'. 
Seward lived in a house close by where the Lafayette Theatre 
now stands. I said to him, 'Oh, Sergeant, I guess you must be 
mistaken' ! I supposed he referred to the accident that hap- 
pened to Mr. Seward three weeks before this. He had been 



Passing oE the; Three Martyred Presidents 457 

thrown from his carriage, and his jawbone had been broken 
in the fall. The sergeant went away to his post and returned 
in about fifteen minutes. He rang the bell, and I stepped to the 
door again. He said, 'I tell you that it is a fact ; they tried to 
cut Secretary Seward's throat'. Then I began to feel very 
uneasy about the President. 

"Probably the Sergeant had been gone this second time 
twenty minutes, when I saw quite a number of persons hasten- 
ing towards the White House through the East gate. Men, 
half-grown boys and small boys all seemed to be in a great 
hurry. Some of the boys were running. When they arrived 
at the door, the central figure was Senator Sumner. He came 
to inquire about the President. I said, 'Mr. Senator, I wish 
you would go down to the theatre and see if anything has hap- 
pened to the President'. They hurried away just as fast as 
they had come. Probably about twenty minutes before eleven 
o'clock, I stepped up to the door in answer to another ring at 
the bell. Who should be there but Isaac Newton, the Com- 
missioner of Agriculture. This is now a Cabinet position, but 
was then a commissionership. I admitted him inside the door, 
and at once closed it. He was a bosom friend of President 
Lincoln. I was thoroughly acquainted with him, and I knew 
to whom I was talking. He said to me, 'They have shot the 
President. And the bullet', he said, 'has entered the left side 
of his head'. I immediately hurried upstairs, leaving him on 
the inside, and went to Captain Robert Lincoln's (Lincoln's 
eldest son) room. He had just come from the front that morn- 
ing, where he had been doing duty on the staff of General Grant. 

"That room was directly over the front portico. When I 
got into his private room, he did not seem to be feeling very 
well, and had a vial in one hand containing medicine and a tea- 
spoon in the other, as if he was about to take a dose of medicine. 

"As I stepped up to his side the teaspoon and the vial 
seemed to go involuntarily down on the table, and he did not 
take the medicine. I wanted to approach the subject gently 
and break the news to him about his father. So I simply said, 



458 Inside History of the White House 

'Captain, there has something happened to the President ; you 
had better go down to the theatre and see what it is'. 

"He said to me, 'Go and call Major Hay' (John Hay, Lin- 
coln's secretary), who was in the room now used (first year of 
Roosevelt's first administration) by Secretary Cortelyou. That 
was Mr. Nicolay's (also a secretary to Lincoln), and Major 
Hay's bedchamber at that time. I said to Hay, 'Major, Cap- 
tain Lincoln wants to see you at once. The President has been 
shot'. He was a handsome young man with a bloom on his 
cheeks just like that of a beautiful young lady. When I told 
him the news, he turned deathly pale, the color entirely leaving 
his cheeks. He said to me, 'Don't allow anybody to enter the 
house'. I said, 'Very good, Major. Nobody shall come in'. 
They took their departure immediately for the theatre. They 
had been gone probably half an hour, when poor little Tad 
(Lincoln's young son) returned from the National Theatre and 
entered through the East door of the basement of the White 
House. He came up the stairway and ran to me, while I was in 
the main vestibule, standing at the window, and before he got 
to me he burst out crying, 'Oh, Tom Pen ! Tom Pen ! they have 
killed papa dead. They've killed papa dead'! and burst out 
crying again. 

"I put my arm around him and drew him up to me, and 
tried to pacify him as best I could. I tried to divert his atten- 
tion to other things, but every now and then he would burst 
out crying again, and repeat over and over, 'Oh, they've killed 
papa dead ! They've killed papa dead !' 

"At nearly twelve o'clock that night I got Tad somewhat 
pacified, and took him into the President's room, which is in the 
southwest portion of the building. I turned down the cover 
of his little bed, and he undressed and got in. I covered him 
up and laid down beside him, put my arm around him, and 
talked to him until he fell into a sound sleep. 

"While I was putting little Tad to bed other men had taken 
my place at the door, but after he went to sleep I returned to 
my duty. 



Passing of the Three Martyred Presidents 459 

"Two hours after Mr. Lincoln's death, his body was 
escorted to the White House by a squad of soldiers. Funeral 
services were held in the East Room on the nineteenth of 
April. Rev. Dr. Hall, of the Church of the Epiphany, read the 
burial service; Bishop Simpson, of the Methodist Church, 
offered a prayer, and Rev. Dr. P. D. Gurley, Mr. Lincoln's 
pastor, delivered a short address on the courage, purity and 
faith which had made the dead man great and useful." 

President Lincoln's Funeral 

The funeral services over the body of the martyred Presi- 
dent were held in the East Room at the White House. An 
eye-witness of the solemn ceremony says: 

"The body lay uncoffined in the centre of the East Room, 
the head resting to the north. From the entrance door at the 
northwest of the room were placed the pall-bearers, next the 
representatives of the Army, then the Judiciary. 

"Throughout the ceremonies, within a reserved space were 
seated the officiating clergy, the mourners, consisting of the 
late President's two sons, his two private secretaries, and mem- 
bers of his personal household. Mrs. Lincoln was so severely 
indiposed as to be compelled to keep to her room. The recess 
of the double-centre doors was assigned to the representatives 
of the press. 

"The coffin was surrounded by an extended wreath of ever- 
green and white flowers, and upon its head lay a beautifully 
wrought cross of Japonicas and sweet alysium, at the centre a 
large wreath or shield of similar flowers ; but by far the most 
delicate and beautiful design was an anchor of white buds 
and evergreen." 

The Passing of Garfield and McKinley 

Having described the last hours in the White House of 
President Lincoln, it is in order to give the facts relating to the 
final hours of the two remaining martyrs, Garfield and 
McKinley. 



460 Inside History of the White House 

Both these Presidents were shot outside of the White 
House, Garfield at the Pennsylvania Railroad station in Wash- 
ington, and McKinley in the Temple of Music, at the Pan- 
American Exposition at Buffalo. Therefore the facts here 
given relate principally to what happened in the White House 
on the day of the assassination and on the day of the death of 
each of these Presidents, rather than to the better known details 
of the actual shooting in each case. 

The News of Garfield Received at the White House 

President Garfield was shot at the railroad station in Wash- 
ington, by a half-crazed fanatic named Charles Guiteau, on the 
afternoon of July 3, 1881. At the moment, President Gar- 
field was about to take a train for Williams College, where he 
was to address the graduating class. Two shots were fired 
and the President fell mortally wounded. For over two 
months he suffered, the news being alternately good and bad, 
till finally he died, September 19, at Elberon, New Jersey. 

Just how the news was received by the attaches at the 
White House, is told by the steward of the mansion, Steward 
Crump. The reporters to whom the steward told his story, 
explain, by way of introduction, that "Steward Crump was 
found late this morning, sitting in the hall at the foot of the 
east stairway of the White House, and surrounded by nearly 
all of the attaches of the White House who are now in the city." 
He had heard the awful news of the President's death through 
The Republican extra, which he had heard the boys crying on 
the streets, just as he was going to bed. At two o'clock A.M. 
he had received no despatches from Mr. Brown or Colonel 
Rockwell, but expected to do so at every minute, and intended 
remaining up all night. He said that the house could be put 
in complete order for the reception of the President in a couple 
of hours, should the remains be brought there. The East 
Room was yet in complete order, and only a portion of the 
rooms downstairs had been cleared out. Mr. Crump was much 
distressed at the sad news, and said that he had had all the 



Passing oE the Three Martyred Presidents 461 

time the strongest faith that General Garfield would get well. 
He said : 

"He was always so cheerful and had so much nerve. Why, 
he used to astonish me with his jokes, even while he was suf- 
fering horribly. Suffer ? I should say he did. The first week 
or ten days (while lying in the White House), it was his feet. 
He kept saying, 'Oh, my feet feel as though there were mil- 
lions of needles being run through them'. I used to squeeze 
his feet and toes in both my hands, as hard as I possibly could, 
and that seemed the only relief he could get. The day he was 
shot and on Sunday he kept talking all the time, but Monday 
he let up some, and then Tuesday morning the doctors shut 
down on his talking." 

Further details are found in Tossing's History of Our 
Country, as follows : 

"At Elberon Garfield seemed, for a day or two, to gather 
strength; he felt himself a new man; he was raised up to see 
the bright ocean heaving in the sunlight and splashing on the 
shore. But neither change of place, nor refreshing breezes, 
were of avail. He was able to sign one official document. The 
last words he wrote were scribbled on a bit of paper, Strangu- 
latus pro republica. The day before his death he said to his 
old friend Rockwell, 'Old boy, do you think my name will have 
a place in human history ?' 'Yes, a grand one ; but a grander, 
in human hearts. Old fellow, you must not talk in that way, 
you have a great work to do\ 'No', said the dying man, 'my 
work is done'. 

"And then the end. Down to the very last, no murmurs 
escaped his lips, no regrets at leaving the power and glory of 
his exalted position. He sank with patient resignation, cour- 
ageous and uncomplaining, only anxious for her who had 
borne him, and for her who had been the bride of his youth." 

How McKinley Met Martyrdom 

President McKinley's assassination, and the facts relating 
to his death, are more fresh in the minds of the Americans than 



462 Inside History of the; White; House; 

are the same facts in relation to Lincoln and Garfield. There- 
fore it is not deemed necessary here to prolong the account of 
the tragic last hours of Mr. McKinley beyond giving the story 
as it concerns in particular the history of the White House. 

President McKinley, on the afternoon of September 6, 1901, 
was holding a reception in the Temple of Music, at the Pan- 
American Exposition, in Buffalo, New York. While he was 
shaking hands with the people, a man stepped forward, with 
something in his hand concealed under a handkerchief. Before 
the Secret Service men could stop the strange acting man, a 
shot was heard. The assassin, a man named Czolgolz, shot 
through the handkerchief and Mr. McKinley fell with what 
proved to be a mortal wound. His death occurred on Septem- 
ber 14. His body was taken to Washington, where it lay in 
state in the East Room of the White House. The next day it 
was removed to the Capitol, where the funeral services 
were held. 

An incident well worth space here is that just before the 
shooting, at the reception, the President stooped to pet a little 
girl and to speak a kind word to the child's mother. The next 
person in the line was the assassin, Czolgolz. Two shots were 
fired, and when the President perceived the fury of the crowd 
toward his assailant, he cried : "Let no one hurt him." 

To those who bent over his death-bed, including his invalid 
wife, the dying President's last words were : 

"Good-bye all. It is God's way. His will be done, not 
ours." 

News of McKinley's Death Received at the White House 

How the news of President McKinley's death was received 
at the White House, and how Mrs. McKinley viewed her hus- 
band for the last time, is related in his Thirty-Six Years in the 
White House, by Doorkeeper Thomas F. Pendel, as follows : 

"On the sixth of September, about twenty-five minutes past 
four in the afternoon, Jerry Smith, one of the servants at the 
White House, came to the foot of the stairs and called up to 



Passing oE the Three Martyred Presidents 463 

me, 'The President is shot !' He had been cleaning in the tele- 
graph room and had heard the awful news. Scarcely believing 
my ears, I called out, 'What, Jerry?' Pie said again, 'The 
President has been shot !' I did not think it could be so, sup- 
posing it was some wild rumor that had gotten out. I asked 
Mr. Gilbert, one of the specially appointed policemen on duty 
at the White House, to try and find out if the news was true, 
but they were so busy in the telegraph room that we could not 
hear anything. Mr. Gilbert was skeptical, as well as myself, 
as to whether the report was true. About twenty minutes after 
this a newspaperman came hurrying to the White House with 
the news. Then there was a sad gloom all over the house. 
Men were coming to and for, asking questions continually. 

"Saturday morning, the fourteenth of September, at twenty- 
five minutes after two o'clock, he passed away. 

"He laid in state Sunday and part of Monday at Buffalo. 
Tuesday night the remains were brought to Washington. Mrs. 
McKinley, with Dr. Rixey and Mr. Abner McKinley (the 
President's brother), came to the White House probably half 
an hour before the remains arrived. It was a very sad sight. 
Previous to his remains being brought in, the undertaker came 
and was making arrangements for the casket to be laid under 
the centre chandelier in the East Room. He was arranging so 
as to have his head lay to the south and his feet to the north. 
Seeing this, I told him that President Lincoln's remains laid 
with the head to the north and his feet to the south. The 
undertaker immediately changed the position so that he laid 
as Mr. Lincoln did. After the remains had been brought in 
and the two soldiers and two marines had taken their position 
at the head and foot of the casket, Mrs. McKinley came in on 
the arm of Dr. Rixey to take a long look at her dear husband. 
It was very sad. Again in the morning she took her final 
farewell of the remains before they were removed to the 
Capitol. I have at my home, pressed and carefully preserved, 
one of the leaves from the many flowers which kept arriving 
all the time." 



CHAPTER L 
Our Twenty-seventh President 

WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT will be welcomed at the 
White House on the fourth of March, 1909, as the 
twenty-seventh President of the United States. The 
nation will hail him as the one man who has received more of 
"specialized" training for his high office than any other Chief 
Executive in our history. All his life Mr. Taft has practically 
been preparing for the Presidency, though only a few years ago 
his supreme ambition was to attain a seat on the bench of the 
United States Supreme Court. All his life he has been a patriot, 
an ideal citizen, a politician, a statesman. For the last eight 
years he has "specialized" as arbitrator in the affairs of nations, 
as peacemaker in our relations with our overseas possessions, 
and as organizer of the great projects which this nation has 
undertaken in the administration of President Roosevelt. 

In 1901 Mr. Taft first emerged from comparative obscurity, 
as a circuit judge, to become President of the Philippine Com- 
mission. How he was called to that post by President McKinley 
is an old story, yet one that will bear repetition here as show- 
ing the character of man who is now our President-elect. Mr. 
Taft did not want to go to the Philippines ; he wanted to work 
his way up to the Supreme Court. But President McKinley 
one day said to him : 

"We need you in the Philippines. You will have to resign 
your circuit judgeship, and you may never have another chance 
of going on the Supreme Bench ; but we need you." 

"All right," came Mr. Taft's answer, modestly but reso- 
lutely ; "I'll go !" 



Our Twenty-seventh President 467 

The story of the magnificent achievements of Mr. Taft in 
the Philippines is well known to American readers. It is known 
that out of chaos he brought order, and when his task in the 
islands drew to a close, peace reigned where formerly turmoil 
had held sway. 

Then, in 1904, came the call from President Roosevelt to 
Mr. Taft to take the post of Secretary of War. For four years 
his duties as a member of President Roosevelt's Cabinet have 
been most arduous, a constant strain both physical and mental. 
During his term as Secretary of War he became known as "the 
nation's traveling man." He traversed the earth in the dis- 
charge of his duties of peacemaker or organizer or diplomat. 
He journeyed to the Philippines to open the Filipino Congress. 
He continued on a world-girdling trip and was received with 
highest honors by the crowned heads of all the countries 
through which he passed. He went to Cuba when Revolution 
reared its head in that isle, and there he established peace and 
good-will. He superintended the work of building the Panama 
Canal, showing, in that work, in particular, his masterly abilities 
as an organizer. Thus in a hundred ways he prepared himself 
for the office of President of the United States. 

Taft Not a Stranger at the "White House 

His experiences as a Cabinet officer have been such that 
when he enters the White House he will be no stranger there. 
Every room in the mansion is known to him as well as it is 
known to the man whom he will succeed. All the forms and 
ceremonies, and all the hard and harassing work and anxiety of 
being a President, is known to him through intimate associa- 
tion with Mr. Roosevelt, and through almost daily visits at the 
White House. 

Mr. Taft will be the third Secretary of War in our history 
to become President of the United States. James Monroe once 
held the Cabinet post in question ; and Grant was Secretary of 
War under President Johnson. 

Moreover, Mr. Taft, in going from the Cabinet to the White 



468 Inside History oe the White House 

House, will follow in the footsteps of six illustrious predeces- 
sors. Six other Presidents came from the Cabinet — namely, 
Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Van Buren 
and Buchanan, all of which were Secretaries of State — Mr. 
Monroe having held the portfolio of State as well as that of 
War, before ascending to the Presidency. 

Once more, Mr. Taft comes from a family distinguished 
not only as jurists, but also as statesmen. His father be- 
fore him held the same post as William Howard Taft held 
at the time of his nomination to be President. His father, 
Alphonso Taft, was Secretary of War under President Grant, 
and was, besides, a diplomat of remarkable ability, qualities 
with which he seems to have endowed the son who is to be 
our twenty-seventh President. 

Mr. Taffs Career 

William Howard Taft will enter the White House as one 
of the youngest of our Presidents. His age is fifty-one years — 
the same age as Tyler and Arthur, one year older than Polk, 
one year younger than Lincoln, three years older than Cleve- 
land, and eight older than was Mr. Roosevelt at the time he 
took the oath of President — all the ages referred to being those 
of the various Presidents named at the time they entered the 
White House. 

Mr. Taft makes the fifth President to come from Ohio, 
(his home city being Cincinnati), following from that State 
four great Presidents in the persons of William Henry Harrison, 
Hayes, Garfield and McKinley. 

Mr. Taft will be the nineteenth of our lawyer-Presidents, 
eighteen of that profession having preceded him in the 
White House. 

To sum up his career — William Howard Taft was born in 
Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, September 15, 1857; was 
graduated in 1874 from Woodward High School; graduated 
from Yale University in 1878; graduated in law from Cincin- 
nati College in 1880, in which year he was admitted to bar of 



Our Twenty-seventh President 469 

Supreme Court of Ohio ; appointed assistant prosecuting attor- 
ney in 1881 ; resigned in 1882 to become collector of internal 
revenue, first district, Ohio, under President Arthur; resigned 
collectorship in 1883 to enter practice of law; in 1887 was 
•appointed by Governor Foraker judge of the Superior Court of 
Cincinnati ; resigned in 1890 to become Solicitor-General of the 
United States under appointment of President Harrison ; 
resigned in 1892 to become United States Circuit Judge for 
sixth judicial circuit; in 1896 became professor and dean of law 
department of University of Cincinnati; resigned in 1900 cir- 
cuit judgeship and deanship to become, by appointment of 
President McKinley, president of the United States Philippine 
Commission; in 1901, by appointment of President McKinley, 
became first civil governor of the Philippine Islands; was 
appointed Secretary of War by President Roosevelt, Feb- 
ruary 1, 1904. 

Mr. Taft's Qualifications for the Presidency 

United States Senator Burton names Mr. Taft's qualifica- 
tions for the post of President thus : 

"He has the rare union of a judicial temperament with a 
remarkable gift for administrative management. His capacity 
for work is something enormous. He brings to the Presidency 
a practical experience surpassed by that of no one of his 
predecessors. The people have an assured hope for the secure 
development and progress of the country, and rest safe in the 
reliance that a Chief Executive is at the helm who, in peace or 
in war, will guide the destinies of the nation with a strong 
hand and a gentle heart." 

To which an editorial writer of the New York Evening 
Post, adds : 

"He knows the office of President from the inside. He has 
lived 'behind the scenes' at the White House. He knows the 
staggering press of anxiety, cares, disappointments and tribula- 
tions that are the daily lot of the chief magistrate. He knows 
the deep and heavy responsibilities of the office, and how difficult 



470 Inside History oe the White House 

it is for an occupant of the White House to live up to his ideals 
and ambitions. 

"No one in Washington who has had a close-range view of 
Mr. Taft at work and under trying circumstances doubts that 
he will make one of the ablest of our Presidents. He is a big 
man in every sense. His body is big, and his brain, and his 
heart, and his sympathies are proportioned to match his physical 
bulk. He summed up his conscientiousness and his spirit 
toward work in a phrase in a letter to John F. Wallace (former 
Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal) : 'In my view, a duty 
is an entirety, and is not fulfilled until it is entirely fulfilled'." 

At the same time an editorial writer of the New York 
Tribune speaks of Mr. Taft's unconscious training for the 
Presidency as follows : 

"The political experience of Mr. Taft has been extraordi- 
narily complete and varied. He has served with distinction 
as State and Federal judge, held one of the most important 
posts in the Department of Justice, been Secretary of War and 
Acting Secretary of State, has governed the Philippines, been 
temporary Governor of Cuba, and has supervised affairs in the 
Isthmian Canal strip. He is an administrator, negotiator and 
pacificator, who has proved his tact and skill in many difficult 
fields, and his all-around competency as a public man equals, 
if it does not exceed, that of such earlier noted exemplars of 
versatility in statesmanship as Albert Gallatin, James Madison 
and John Quincy Adams." 

How Mr. Taft Trained to fee Chief Executive 
One of the best summaries of the facts relating to Mr. Taft's 
training for the Presidency is given in the Review of Reviews 
by Walter Wellman, who writes : 

"It has become axiomatic at Washington that whenever 
trouble occurs anywhere in the world beyond the power of the 
ordinary agencies to deal with, Taft is the man who must be 
sent to straighten it out. Not only did he bring order out of 
chaos in the Philippines, but he averted civil war and anarchy 



Our Twenty-seventh President 471 

in Cuba, settled the difficult problem of the friars' lands by a 
visit to the Vatican, started the vast activity at Panama, in 
effective fashion, and then went back again to adjust a threat- 
ened struggle between two jarring States. Though the Secre- 
tary of Peace, he carried on the War Department with a strong 
grip upon its details, helped reorganize the army and create a 
general staff, and incidentally found time to make a tour of the 
world and to travel all over the country as a fast-rising favorite 
for the Presidency. It is not surprising, in view of his achieve- 
ments, his record as a getter of results, as a doer, that President 
Roosevelt should say of him : 

' 'Taft is the biggest going concern in the country'. 

"He keeps going all the time. He works from eight in the 
morning until midnight. He not only works hard, but plays 
hard, laughs hard, sleeps hard, eats hard and sometimes hits 
hard when roused. 

"The Presidency is without much doubt just what President 
Roosevelt has called it, 'the hardest job on earth'. To achieve 
success in it much more than intellectual equipment is required. 
Indeed, it may be doubted if a genius of the first rank could, 
under present conditions, make a success of it at all. Given a 
fairly strong mind and will, which pertain without question to 
any man who reaches the White House, beyond that success or 
failure is largely a matter of temperament. Chief of the tem- 
peramental qualities is tact, patience, good humor — in the last 
analysis the ability to work well and smoothly with men, to 
avoid friction, to attract loyalty, to get the best possible out of 
subordinates and out of the co-ordinate branch, the Congress. 
The Presidency is now so big a post, its duties are so complex, 
they ramify so extensively and intimately to all the activities of 
the Government and of the people, that the human-nature side 
of the occupant of the high chair is of far greater importance 
than the intellectual side. President McKinley was a good 
example: Not intellectually great, but well-balanced, a good 
judge of men, wonderfully clever in extracting from men the 
best they had, whether of thought or work, he became known 



472 Inside; History of the White House 

as an adroit, smooth, eminently successful managing director of 
the Government. Mr. Roosevelt, more intellectual and original, 
more courageous, more the reformer, with a broader grasp of 
things and a far greater desire to initiate and complete, a leader, 
not an opportunist, gets on fairly well with men, too, — 
most men. 

"Not only has Taft had the training that fits him to be 
President" he has the temperament. It would be difficult to 
imagine a temperament better adapted than his to this difficult 
task. He is a happy half-way McKinley and Roosevelt, with 
most of the strength and few of the weaknesses of both. He 
has the training of the lawyer, of the judge, the administrator, 
the diplomat. He knows the American people, he knows the 
Government, he knows the affairs of the world. He has an 
almost unprecedented power of handling affairs and men. 
Serenity abides with him, and patience, and justice, and 
strength, and firmness. He may never fire the hearts of the 
people as Roosevelt has; he may never be looked upon by all 
as a paragon of unpicturesque goodness, as was McKinley. 
But if Taft becomes President he will get results. He will be 
master without carrying a whip. He will always strive, as we 
see he has always striven, to use infinite pains to get at all the 
facts, to clarify them, to form slow but sure judgments, and 
then to stand by them. At the White House, if Taft presides, 
there will be a great calm, great patience of listening and 
investigation, great energy of work, great good humor, 
great peace." 

Mr. Taffs Hard Labor and His Hard Working Secretary 

William Howard Taft, as the whole nation well knows, is a 
tremendous, indefatigable worker. His work seems never to 
cease, summer or winter. Despite his great weight, he covers 
the ground with surprising elasticity, and altogether his 
avoirdupois has been no bar to his activities. 

Mr. Taft's Man-Friday, his hardest worked Right Hand, 
as it were, is Mr. Fred W. Carpenter, who for eight years has 



Our Twenty-seventh President 473 

labored as Mr. Taft's confidential secretary in all affairs pri- 
vate as well as public. Mr. Carpenter was first brought to Mr. 
Taft's notice when, from Manila, the then President of the 
Philippine Commission cabled home asking a friend to recom- 
mend some young man who could perform the duties of private 
secretary. The cable brought back the answer that the best 
man for the post was Fred W. Carpenter, then a clerk in a 
law-office in San Francisco. Mr. Carpenter was accordingly 
requested to proceed at once to Manila — and ever since he has 
acted as Mr. Taft's Man-Friday, "undemonstratively, uncom- 
municatively." 

As Secretary of War, Mr. Taft was besieged and beset daily 
and nightly by no end of callers. And — "curiously enough," 
remarked the New York Evening Post, "despite his staggering 
load of work, Taft is the most patient of men with bores." In 
consequence, they followed him in flocks and lay siege at the 
inner portals of his office. 

"The trouble with me," Mr. Taft said one day, "is that I 
like to talk too much. People come in here to see me who 
haven't got any business, and sometimes they are cranks, but 
nearly always I get interested in them, and the first thing I 
know they have eaten up all my day." 

At School and in College 

Mr. Taft is a Yale man — having been graduated from that 
university in 1878, two years before Mr. Roosevelt was grad- 
uated from Harvard. Mr. Taft is our one and only President 
to come from Yale. It may be added here that Mr. Roosevelt 
was one of three Presidents from Harvard, his predecessors 
from that university being John Adams and John Quincy 
Adams. It may be added further that nine of our Presidents 
did not go to any college, these nine being Washington, Jackson, 
Van Buren, Taylor, Fillmore, Lincoln, Johnson, Cleveland 
and McKinley. Mr. Taft was graduated second in a class 
of 120, and was class orator and salutatorian. 

Before entering Yale young Taft was graduated from the 



474 Inside History of the White House 

Woodward High School, of Cincinnati. One of his teachers 
there was Professor Peabody, who says of his now distinguished 
pupil : 

"He led a class of eleven boys. And let me tell you that 
it was no mean honor to lead that particular class, for it con- 
tained some of the brightest boys it has ever been my privilege 
to teach. He seemed to realize, as most boys do not, that work 
is work and play is play, and that there's a time for each. 

"His father, Judge Alphonso Taft, was a trustee of the 
school ; the only trustee, by the way, who ever paid it any per- 
sonal visits. Alphonso came around every two or three weeks 
and would follow an entire recitation ; especially to see, I sup- 
pose, how his own boys were doing. 

"I guess Will Taft found out early that it really paid to 
work when there was work to be done. He told me later that 
when he went to Yale he was so well prepared that he had to 
loaf along the first year, waiting for the rest to catch up. 

"From that time to this he has always been ahead of his 
work. He has never been one of the men who are harassed 
and pushed by their duties. As a boy he got ahead of his work, 
and he has kept ahead of it ever since." 

Regarding his days at Yale, Mr. Taft incidentally tells how 
it was that the "boys" there first began calling him "Bill," the 
name by which the people, to-day, like to speak of him. Says 
Mr. Taft: 

"I first got the name at Yale. Before I went there I had 
been 'Willie' in my home and among my Cincinnati boyhood 
friends. But when I got through school I was called Will 
at home. 

"My younger brother, Harry, however, never called me 
Willie after a happening one day at college. We roomed 
together on the top floor of Farnam Hall ; our room was just 
over the middle entrance. Harry was a freshman, I a junior. 
He had gone out and forgotten to take with him a book he 
wanted. He came back to the entrance and, looking up on the 
outside, yelled, 'O Willie' ! Well, in a second there was a head 




MR. AND MRS. TAFT AND FAMILY 



Our Twenty-seventh President 477 

out of every one of the four hundred windows, and it seemed 
as though every one yelled at once. At any rate, there was 
one long chorus of 'O Willie' ! That cured Harry, he has 
called me 'Bill' ever since, and so have all my friends." 

Mrs, Taft, Thirty-third "First Lady" 

Mrs. William Howard Taft will enter the White House as 
the thirty-third "First Lady" of the land. Her daughter, 
Helen, moreover, will be one more White House debutante, 
succeeding Nellie Grant and Alice Roosevelt in that respect. 

Mrs. Taft will come to the White House by no means as a 
stranger there. For within that mansion she had many delight- 
ful experiences in her younger life when Rutherford B. Hayes 
was President. From various newspaper despatches relating 
to Mrs. Taft's experiences in the White House, we learn that 
"her introduction to the White House goes back to her early 
childhood, when she spent a great deal of time there with Presi- 
dent and Mrs. Hayes, who were devoted to her. As a member 
of 'Mrs. Roosevelt's cabinet' she has been at the White House 
a great deal, and it will feel far from strange to her when she 
goes there as a President's wife. She will be an admirable 
hostess, and as she is not only a lover of music but a musician 
herself, the entertainments at the White House will probably 
continue to be characterized by the musical turn which Mrs. 
Roosevelt has given them." 

Another despatch states that Miss Helen Herron, who 
became Mrs. William Howard Taft, and whom Mr. Taft calls 
"the politician of the family," was the daughter of former 
United States District- Attorney John W. Herron, who was 
the law partner of President Rutherford B. Hayes. In her 
early girlhood Mrs. Taft spent a great deal of time at the White 
House as the guest of the Hayes family, "but it is doubtful if 
she ever thought that her meeting with young Bill Taft, whose 
father, Alphonso Taft, had been Secretary of War and Minister 
to Russia, would in all probability bring her back to rule over it 
as its mistress." 



478 Inside History of the White House 

"She spent the greater part of each year at the White House, 
although she was little more than a toddler at the time. Her 
keenest delight was in the impromptu suppers which always 
followed State receptions at the White House. These were 
served in the private apartments of the President and were 
strikingly home-like. The little visitor was never permitted 
even a peep below stairs, but she became thoroughly at home in 
the Executive Mansion, and few years have passed since that 
Mrs. Taft has not been more or less in the White House." 

Mrs. Taft herself has said: "Nothing in my life reaches 
the climax of human bliss I felt when, as a girl of sixteen, I 
was entertained at the W T hite House." 

Mrs. Taft as "Wife and Mother 

It was an old-fashioned love match, that of Miss Helen Her- 
ron, of Cincinnati, and William Howard Taft. Each took the 
other when neither knew that the things in store for them were 
for the better of to-day. And until she world-girdled with him 
on his official trip, Mrs. Taft never really comprehended just 
how big a man her husband was — big in achievement as well 
as avoirdupois. 

One newspaper despatch quotes Mr. Taft's father as say- 
ing: "Mediocrity will never do for Bill Taft." 

The same despatch then goes on to state that "Bill" proved 
his father's words by falling in love with Miss Helen Herron. 
The Taft and Herron families had known each other always. 
Young Taft went to Yale at the age of seventeen. "At that 
time his future wife was a little girl in short skirts, to whom he 
had never paid the slightest attention. Returning to Cincinnati 
at twenty-one, after graduating second in a class of 120, young 
Taft went to work as a Court reporter of a local newspaper at 
six dollars a week. Miss Helen Herron was then seventeen. 
She was a studious young girl, with a great love of books and 
a passion for music. While young Taft was studying law out 
of the hours given to newspaper reporting she was attending 
the Cincinnati University, and after a year's course began 



Our Twenty-seventh President 479 

teaching in a private school. She was even then a believer in 
the higher education of women. She married Mr. Taft when 
she was twenty-five and he twenty-nine, but the marriage was 
the culmination of an understanding which had existed for some 
years. They were waiting simply for young Taft's income in 
the practice of law to equal $100 a month." 

One newspaper reporter said to Mrs. Taft : "How do you 
keep so young — how do you manage it?" 

"Well," answered Mrs. Taft, "I suppose it is because I am 
a very contented and happy woman. I should be, too, for I 
have three lovely children and a husband so good and kind, and 
so companionable. He is devoted to all of us, and, really, I 
couldn't conjure up a single thing to make me discontented. I 
believe that contentment does away with wrinkles." 

The same reporter then asked Mrs. Taft the following ques- 
tion : "Do you believe in a business life for a woman ?" 

To which the reply came : 

"Not if a woman wants to have happiness and fulfil her 
greatest usefulness in this world. A happy marriage is the 
most complete and useful life for any woman. To be the 
mother of sweet, healthy children is a heritage that is greater 
than being — than being the mistress of the White House. The 
devotion of my husband, the love of my children, are dearer to 
me than any other thing in life. 

"As the wife of Mr. Taft, as President, I would interest 
myself in anything that vitally affected him, or in which he 
was absorbed. I do not believe in a woman meddling in politics 
or in asserting herself along those lines, but I think any woman 
can discuss with her husband topics of national interest and, in 
many instances, she might give her opinion of questions with 
which, through study and contact, she has become familiar. 

"The situation in the Philippines, while I lived there was 
most interesting, and I became familiar with every phase of it. 
It meant more than politics. The questions involved real states- 
manship. Mr. Taft always held his conferences at our home, 
and, naturally, I heard these matters discussed more freely than 



480 Inside; History of the: White House 

one would in Washington. It was politics 'over the tea cups', 
as it were, in the Philippines." 

Some Characteristics of Mrs. Taft 

Mrs. Abbey Baker, of Washington, gives the following 
review of the characteristics possessed by the lady who, for the 
next four years, will act as the hostess of the nation : 

"Mrs. Taft is a cultured, womanly woman, and as a mis- 
tress of the White House, will make a worthy successor of Mrs. 
Roosevelt. She is a delightful hostess in her own home, and 
has a happy grace of manner in meeting strangers which goes 
far toward making a woman popular in public life. She is not 
a club-woman, and belongs to but few organizations of any 
kind. Her greatest pleasure and recreation is music. In her 
girlhood she was a brilliant pianist, and although she does not 
keep up her music as she did then, she is a skilled player yet. 
She was one of the most promising graduates of the Cincinnati 
College of Music, in the days when the Cincinnati institution 
vied with the Boston Conservatory. She was first president 
and one of the organizers of the Cincinnati Orchestra Associa- 
tion. Until she came to Washington to live, she cared but little 
for society life. She has always hailed with delight the time of 
year when she could go with her family to Murray Bay for the 
summer, where they could live far more simply than is possible 
at the Capital. 

"On the day before the nomination at Chicago a slight, 
graceful woman flitted into the War Department and passed 
swiftly up to the rooms of the Secretary. In his inner office 
a long distance telephone wire made direct connections with the 
Convention Hall at Chicago. All day long she sat in the inner 
office, as much interested as the big Secretary, who, amidst all 
the excitement, only left the work at his desk occasionally to 
listen to 'the latest'. Early Thursday morning she came again, 
and if she was weary, or a bit heart sick over the suspense, 
there was nothing in her bright face to betray it to the eyes of 
her watchful husband. But when the word came over that long 



Our Twenty-seventh President 481 

wire, late in the afternoon, 'Taft is the standard-bearer of his 
party', it was the slight, graceful little woman who was the first 
to congratulate her husband upon his nomination." 

And to Mrs. Baker's account, a newspaper despatch, writ- 
ten when Mrs. Taft was living in Washington, adds a number 
of facts, the principal of which are these : 

"Mrs. Taft's most conspicuous trait is genuine womanliness, 
with absolutely no affectation. Her manner is frank, direct, 
and she has a refreshing sense of humor. One imagines, and 
without doubt truthfully, that Mrs. Taft and the Secretary have 
much 'fun' between themselves in conversation, without 
audience or entertainers. 

"When Mrs. Taft speaks of the achievements of her hus- 
band, which she rarely does unless she knows well the one with 
whom she is talking, she discusses them in a manner which sug- 
gests that these things are only the natural consequences of the 
Secretary's ability. 

"Since she came to Washington, Mrs. Taft has become con- 
spicuous for the readiness with which she disposes of affairs 
which directly concern her. In her own home she is much the 
same as any other American woman would be. If she happens 
to be near the telephone and the bell rings, she answers it herself. 

"She has an old-fashioned custom, and a delightful one, of 
accompanying her visitors to the front door when they are call- 
ing informally, and in many other little ways she demonstrates 
that the routine of official and social duties has in no way 
changed her feminine tendencies nor her ideas of life within 
her own home circle. 

"Mrs. Taft has no fad. She says fads take time and do not 
accord well with social and official duties. But she has many 
fancies, all of which are of a practical nature, and she indulges 
them faithfully. One of these is music. Mrs. Taft, before 
coming to Washington, was one of the conspicuous figures in 
musical affairs in Cincinnati. She was president of the Cin- 
cinnati Symphony Orchestra, and was affiliated with many of 
the most prominent musical organizations in that city." 



482 Inside History oE the White House 

Elder Son of the Tafts 

Mr. and Mrs. Taft have three children — two boys and a 
girl. Their elder son, Robert Alphonso, is a sophomore at Yale. 
Their younger son, Charlie, is the schoolboy who accompanied 
his father on his famous trip around the world. Their daugh- 
ter, Miss Helen, is a student at Bryn Mawr College, near 
Philadelphia. 

In referring to these children, Hallie Erminie Rives, the 
novelist, says : 

"They are lucky children whose parents live as close to them 
in feeling as do Mr. and Mrs. Taft for their children." 

The story is told by Miss Rives of how one day in Havana 
a friend met the War Secretary walking up the street with a 
jubilant face and a pink cablegram in his hand. 

"You look very happy, Mr. Secretary," said the friend. 
"The work of the Commission seems to please you." 

"Commission nothing," exclaimed Mr. Taft, slapping the 
cablegram: "That boy of mine at Yale has taken two first 
prizes." 

The prizes referred to by Miss Rives in the above paragraph, 
were alluded to in the news at the time young Robert won 
them, as follows : 

"Robert Alphonso Taft, eldest son of the Secretary, was a 
double prize winner this year in the freshman class at Yale, 
dividing one of the Barge prizes for mathematics and taking a 
first grade Berkley premium of a book fund for excellence in 
Latin composition." 

In a sketch of this elder son of the President-elect, it is 
stated, by Mrs. Abbey Baker, that he just could not stay in 
New Haven while the Republican Convention was in session at 
Chicago last week, so he "cut an ex." to make the train which 
brought him to the Western city in time to see the opening of 
the great show. 

When young Robert becomes too much absorbed with the 
good times of college life, Mrs. Baker tells us, the big Secretary 
tells him about one time when he was in college 'way back in 



Our Twenty-seventh President 483 

the seventies. He was a splendid young - fellow physically, 
weighing over two hundred pounds, and his chums were deter- 
mined to run him for athletics. He liked it, but when his lesson 
reports came back to his worthy sire, who had held two Cabinet 
positions under Grant, he told his son in no uncertain tones that 
he was not in college to make an athlete. He told it to him 
so convincingly that William Taft dropped excessive athletics 
and came out second in a class of one hundred and twenty at 
his graduation. 

The Younger Son 

"Like his distinguished father," writes Mrs. Baker, "Charlie 
Taft, son of the Secretary of War, thoroughly enjoys life and 
goes on the principle that good friends are worth making in any 
walk of life. Charlie has a sunny disposition and is always 
ready with a smile. Young Taft and Quentin Roosevelt are 
great chums, and, like the son of the President, Charlie goes off 
to school in the morning with his books slung over his shoulder, 
ready to shoot marbles with the first fellow that comes along. 
Charlie has many stories to tell of his world trip with his dis- 
tinguished father, and he has seen many unique things which 
escaped the eyes of his elders." 

After his father's nomination to be President, young Charlie 
was asked by a reporter if he would like to be a President's 
son? 

"Yes, indeed; the Roosevelt boys have a fine time at the 
White House. Pop will win and we will occupy the White 
House. But I am awfully sorry for Quentin Roosevelt. I do 
not want him to leave his present home. But he can visit 
me often and we will have jolly times together." 

Miss Helen Taft, New "Daughter of the White House" 

Miss Helen Taft as already stated, is a student at Bryn 
Mawr, where, in 1908, she won a scholarship. Writing of 
this, Mrs. Abbey Baker tells us that on the morning the Chicago 
Convention met a letter was placed in Secretary Taft's hands. 
When he read it he smiled, and his smile is most contagious. 



484 Inside; History of the White House 

"It must be some more good news from Chicago," said a 
discerning friend. But it was not. The letter told him that his 
daughter Helen, who was graduated from the Baldwin School 
a week or two ago, had won the Pennsylvania scholarship for 
the best entrance examination to Bryn Mawr College. Inci- 
dentally, that scholarship carried three hundred dollars ; and 
while that of itself was an item — for the Tafts are not people 
of wealth — it was not that which made the Secretary smile. 
"Miss Helen is the apple of her father's eye, and it delights him 
beyond measure that she inherits his love for books, and is 
developing into a student. She is a fine, wholesome, unaffected 
girl with her father's deep expressive eyes and fair complexion, 
while from her mother she inherits her crown of soft brown 
hair." 

From a sketch of Miss Taft in Human Life, we glean the 
following facts relating to the young lady who will figure 
prominently in the White House social life during the Taft 
Administration : 

"Like Miss Roosevelt, she is of the strenuous order of young 
woman, being a devotee of tennis and golf, but unlike her, she 
has evinced no interest in society and shrinks from the public 
with maidenly modesty. Miss Taft is, mentally, the counter- 
part of her mother and her namesake. She has just turned 
eighteen and her days are largely spent over books. She is, in 
fact, rather a 'bookish' young lady, deeply interested in his- 
tory and literature. With a mother and grandfather of 
scholarly attainments, it would be hardly possible for her to be 
otherwise, although she is no less an out-of-doors girl. At the 
Taft summer home at Murray Bay, Canada, Miss Helen is the 
daily opponent of her father or her brother in tennis bouts, and 
can hold her own before the net with skill and agility. Brought 
up in the very essence of refined American home life, the daugh- 
ter of the Secretary of War is a 'finished' and exceedingly pol- 
ished and well poised young lady. She is tall and lithe and fair, 
with regular features, pleasing but strong, and perhaps a little 
determined. Miss Taft is not an idealist, or a dreamer; her 



Our Twenty^seventh President 485 

ambition is to know things worth while and keep herself 
informed upon the affairs of the day. In this way she has 
become a companion to her father. Miss Taft, before going 
to Bryn Mawr, was educated at the National Cathedral School 
"at Washington, D. C." 

The Home Life of the Tafts 

The home life of Mr. and Mrs. Taft is depicted with many 
interesting facts by Mrs. Abbey Baker, from her first-hand 
knowledge of this distinguished family, beginning with this 
little story : 

"A flaxen-headed, sturdy-limbed little lad scurried through 
the reading room of the Library of Congress on the Saturday 
before the Chicago Convention, and grabbed the skirts of a 
slight, graceful woman, whose arms were filled with books, and 
who seemed to be hurrying to avoid recognition. Her large 
dark eyes smiled down at the boy as he tucked his hand 
confidingly under her elbow, and as they pushed out the 
handsome bronze doors of the great granite building he said 
gleefully: 

"There, mother ! we've found the very books we want, and 
we'll have a jolly Saturday reading 'em, won't we?" 

"Who are they?" asked one of a group of sight-seers who 
were taking in the beauties of the building, and who were 
evidently strangers in Washington. 

"That, madam," said the keeper of the umbrella stand with 
swelling importance over his familiarity with those in the seats 
of the mighty, "that is Mrs. William Howard Taft and her 
little boy — the wife and son of the Secretary of War." 

"Well, I hope that she is as nice a mother as she looks to 
be," ejaculated the stranger, hurrying to the doors to have 
another peep at the rapidly retreating figures. 

"Mrs. Taft is devotedly fond of her big husband," continues 
Mrs. Baker, "and of her trio of interesting children, and does 
not believe that anything in the world should be as important 
to her as their well-being and happiness." 



486 Inside History of the White House 

When Secretary Taft, then senior United States Circuit 
Judge of the Sixth Circuit, decided that he must go to the Phil- 
ippines to help his "little brown brothers" (as he calls the 
Filipinos) establish a civil government, Mrs. Taft immediately 
decided that she and the children should go too. Her father, 
Mr. John W. Herron, of Cincinnati, tried to persuade her not 
to go, picturing to her the baneful climate and the hardships to 
be encountered. "And you'll only be in your husband's way," 
he wound up. 

"But you know, really," said Mrs. Taft, in speaking of it 
three years afterward when the family took up their residence 
in Washington, "we weren't in his way at all. The children 
were an actual help, and our family life was an object lesson 
the natives needed." 

The eldest son, Robert Alphonso, at that time a lad of 
twelve, was placed in one of the public schools which Governor- 
Taft had established all over the islands, and which have 
proven such wonderful agencies in bringing about reformation 
in the archipelago. Little Helen Herron Taft, then a wee 
lassie of nine, was put in a school in Manila, while Charles 
Phelps, the baby of the family, had kindergarten lessons at 
home. When Robert Taft returned to this country he found 
that he had not lost a single day in his studies and entered his 
classes exactly as he would have done if he had carried on his 
work in the schools of Washington or Cincinnati. 

The big Secretary and his wife won all hearts in the Philip- 
pines. Their open hospitality and keen interest in all that per- 
tained to the betterment of the islands made them the beloved 
of high and low alike. Their Washington home is crowded 
with magnificent presents which the warm-hearted Filipinos 
pressed upon them. The furnishings in their parlors, library 
and dining-room are interesting in the extreme. There are 
exquisite teakwood pieces, one of which is a carved cabinet 
that of itself would waken the envy of a connoisseur, the shelves 
of which are filled with rare curios. In the hall of the house 
are two fine Korean cabinets of mahogany, which were pre- 



Our Twenty-seventh President 487 

sented to Governor Taft by the Constabulary at Seoul. Upon 
the table in the library is a handsome case of inlaid wood, hold- 
ing an elaborate embossed volume, bearing engraved senti- 
ments of esteem from the native citizens of Manila. The great 
dining-table is made of wood grown on the island of Luzon, 
the sideboard and table are teak, and the walls of the hall are 
covered with rare Chinese embroideries. The entire home is 
filled with most interesting souvenirs. 

To Mrs. Baker's account, Hallie Erminie Rives adds this 
quaint glimpse of the Taft's Washington home : 

"Each child has been taught to keep a separate account and 
to husband it carefully. Most of all, in the bringing up of this 
family, has care been taken that the children's good impulses be 
not discouraged. Pass the Taft house on a sunshiny day when 
there is no school, notice the crimson roses clambering over the 
window (how pretty those roses are), you catch yourself saying 
aloud. As likely as not a chubby boy with fine eyes and dimples 
will drop out of a tree, which is his favorite library corner, and 
say, smilingly: (Aren't they? Don't you want one?) Then 
he will hand you the prettiest on the bush. This benevolent 
person will be Charlie Taft, younger son of the house, and for 
this largess he will receive no paternal or maternal frown. The 
impulse for friendliness and kindness, not the rosebush, is 
what counts." 

The Taft's summer home, for years, has been at Murray 
Bay, Eastern Canada. That home is now furnished with every 
reasonable comfort, but it was not always so, as Mr. Taft has 
said, thus : 

"I remember when we first came up here to Murray Bay — a 
whole cargo of Tafts — twenty-one of us, fifteen years ago. 
We had nothing but a cigar box of a house, with five or six 
rooms in it to hold us all. Maybe you think they didn't say 
things to me! I was the one who persuaded them all to try 
this resort, and in the usual happy family manner they told me 
what they thought of my judgment." 

"I remember well those days," adds Mr, Taft's brother, 



488 Inside History of the White House 

Charles P. Taft. Will was raising a family, and in the middle 
of the night of course the babies would cry. The partitions 
between the rooms were very thin — the usual summer cottage 
partitions — and so, in order not to disturb our sleep any more 
than was necessary, Will used to carry the babies out in the 
dim night air and walk up and down the board walk with them. 
I can still remember the sight he presented in his night dress. 
It was worth being waked out of my sleep to see." 

The Tafts as Church Members 

William Howard Taft is the second Unitarian to enter the 
White House as President of the United States, the first Presi- 
dent of that denomination being Millard Fillmore. Of the 
other Presidents, eight were Episcopalians, two Congregation- 
alists, two Dutch Reformed, four Presbyterians and five 
Methodists. 

In The Christian Herald it is stated that while neither 
the War Secretary nor Mrs. Taft have regular membership in 
any church, they both are in thorough sympathy with church 
organizations, and have always helped in church support. The 
Secretary's parents were Unitarians, and when possible, he 
affiliates with that body. Mrs. Taft's family were Presbyterian, 
but since her marriage she has worshiped usually with the 
Episcopalians. She was always actively engaged in the phil- 
anthropic and civic organizations of Cincinnati. It was largely 
through her efforts that the Training School for Nurses was 
established, and for years she was a member of the Free Kin- 
dergarten Board. While in the Philippines, Mrs. Taft was a 
member of the Soldiers' and Sailors' League, which established 
the public library at Manila. 

On this subject of the church-going of the Tafts, the press 
despatches state that Mr. Taft attends All Souls' Church, 
Washington, and that "Mrs. Taft and the other members of the 
family are regular attendants at St. John's Protestant Episcopal 
Church and will occupy the Presidential pew in that church" 
during the Taft Administration. It was in St John's Episcopal 



Our Twenty-seventh President 489 

Church that Miss Helen Taft was confirmed, and in the class 
was Miss Ethel Roosevelt, daughter of the President, and both 
girls were students in the National Cathedral School. 

Speaking of the way Mr. Taft spends Sunday at his sum- 
' mer home at Murray Bay, Canada, one press despatch has it 
that on that day he discards his familiar suit of gray outing flan- 
nel and dons a staid blue serge, and goes to church. After the 
service he stands bareheaded in the little churchyard and holds 
a sort of impromptu reception, in which he shakes hands with 
all the neighbors. Sunday is his one day of rest. 

Mr. Taffs Outdoor Recreations 

Mr. Taft is an ardent lover of outdoor pastimes and sports, 
his favorite game being golf, though he is also fond of walking 
and riding, and occasionally plays tennis with his sons. In 
referring to his habit of living as much as possible outdoors, 
especially during his stay at his Canadian summer home, Mr. 
Taft himself has gone on record as saying : 

"So invigorating is the air, you simply cannot loaf; you' just 
have to go out and take exercise. You feel that you must go 
out and bang the little white ball around. Then, when you 
have taken so much exercise, you sleep well at night, and when 
you sleep well, you are ready for another round the next day. 
Exercise is a great thing." 

In a press account of his outdoor pastimes at Murray Bay, 
we learn that Mr. Taft works, during the summer, from seven 
in the morning until eight or half-past, dictating to his secretary 
his opinions concerning the War Department stuff which came 
in by the night mail. Then he breakfasts ; after breakfast, rain 
or shine, he takes his golf clubs and goes to the links to put in 
a full morning. "Now, the Murray Bay links are laid out on 
the side of a thousand hills. There are eighteen holes, and 
these holes are got at by climbing mountains, jumping ditches, 
traveling along roads and other difficult processes. It takes a 
good three hours to get around them, and the Secretary gets 
around them with a score of ninety-five. He turns up bright 



490 Inside; History of the; White; House 

and smiling as ever — the Taft smile is just as good as so much 
sunshine — eats a bit of lunch and goes at his secretary and his 
War Department again for all the afternoon. Late in the dusk 
of the evening he and the children play together around the 
tennis court or the lawn. It is a pleasant sight, for, as far as 
games are concerned, Taft is like Peter Pan — he has never 
grown up." 

Some of Mr* Taft's Characteristics 

Robert Lee Dunn, news-photographer, says of Mr. Taft 
that he owes more to the camera than perhaps any other states- 
man, "and is as pleased with good pictures of himself as is any 
other of the great men I have snapped." "I suppose I have 
upward of 1,000 plates of him. He has mastered the secret of 
the perfect pose. There is no worry in it for him, no dread 
that he will not look fit. He is always ready, always natural, 
and always happy, and thanks to these three conditions what- 
ever he may have had of vanity has long since disappeared." 

A well-known magazine writer, Mr. Lincoln Steffens, cites 
the following as the most characteristic story ever told of the 
President-elect. The time of this occurrence was in the early 
manhood of Taft. "His father," says Mr. Steffens, "had been 
insulted in a newspaper, and the other sons, all the family, were 
indignant, excepting only 'Bill'. He said nothing. He left 
the house that morning without any sign of anger, and the 
others, in their storm, wondered at his calm. But when Bill 
got downtown, he laid for and he licked the writer of that 
article ; 'without anger', they say in Cincinnati." 

Mr. Taft' s Brother and Mother 

Mr. Taft owes much to his brother, Charles P. Taft, owner 
and editor of the Cincinnati Times-Star. The President-elect 
is himself a comparatively poor man, and when it came time 
to secure his nomination, the matter of obtaining funds for the 
purpose became imperative. To the rescue came his brother, 
Charles Taft, with liberal checks representing the sinews of war. 



Our Twenty-seventh President 491 

But if Mr. Taft is devoted to his brother, what shall we 
say of his love for his mother, as cited in the following story ? 
This story appeared in the New York Evening Post, and relates 
that one evening in Cuba, when all the correspondents, Cuban 
and American, had gone to Mr. Taft at the American legation 
to learn the result of the day's negotiations, there happened a 
simple little thing, unconsciously done, that left a deep impres- 
sion. All of the men crowded into the small room where Mr. 
Taft sat looking out of one of the long French windows that 
opened towards the sea. He looked tired and drawn. When 
the crowd of writing-men had arranged themselves in a rough 
semi-circle in front of his desk, Mr. Taft beckoned to the repre- 
sentative of a Boston paper, on the outer edge of the crowd, to 
come around and sit beside him. 

"I am anxious that this young man should hear everything," 
he said in explanation of his partiality. "He writes for the only 
paper that my mother reads, and I like her to know what I am 
doing down here." 

There was "something fine in the unconsciousness and sim- 
plicity of the man's speech and attitude of mind." 

The Vice-PresMent-Elect and Mrs. Sherman 

The "running-mate" of William Howard Taft on the Repub- 
lican ticket for President and Vice-President is James School- 
craft Sherman. On the day Mr. Taft enters the White House, 
Mr. Sherman will go to Washington as the Vice-President of 
the United States and assume the duties of President of the 
United States Senate. 

James Schoolcraft Sherman, thus, in the fifty-third year of 
his life, will become the second in power in the Government of 
the country. He is a lawyer, but has always been active in 
politics. In 1884 he was Mayor of his home town, where he 
was born, and where he still lives — Utica, New York. His con- 
stituency sent him to Congress, and for fourteen years he per- 
formed his«duties in the House of Representatives. He was 
graduated from Yale. 



492 Inside History of the White House 

Speaking of Mr. Sherman's training and qualifications for 
the high post to which he has been elected, the New York Eve- 
ning Mail says, editorially : 

"His experience in public life, covering many terms in Con- 
gress, has been as steady and extended as that of Mr. Taft — 
with this difference, that it was gained on the legislative rather 
than on the judicial and administrative sides. Mr. Sherman 
brings to the Vice-Presidency a wholly exceptional experier~e 
in public affairs, of a highly qualifying kind. He has been a 
growing figure, and where he is best known — among his asso- 
ciates in Congress — the appraisal of his abilities is largest and 
most generous. He is a man of force and judgment, with a 
good record, and a sense of responsibility and an instinct for 
affairs on which the House of Representatives has more and 
more relied." 

Mr. Sherman's wife is quite as prepared as is her husband to 
take up her official duties in Washington. She is better known 
in Utica, her home town, however, as a philanthropist than as a 
society queen. When the Spanish-American War broke out, 
she became President of the Woman's War Relief Society of 
New York. She has long been an officer of St. Luke's Hos- 
pital, of New York, and is an active worker for that great insti- 
tution. Also she is one of the organizers of the Congressional 
Club, of Washington, which includes in its membership the 
ladies of the families of Senators as well as of Representatives. 
While her husband sat in Congress, she entertained frequently 
and became a social favorite in Washington. Before her mar- 
riage, she was Miss Carrie Babcock, of Utica, daughter of a 
prominent jurist. Married now for eighteen years, her wedded 
life has ever been, as she says, "filled with strivings to attain the 
ideals of all that the relations of husband and wife should be." 

THE END. 












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